


Lokasenna

by ragnarok12345



Series: The Ring Cycle Trilogy [2]
Category: Marvel, Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Comics), Thor (Movies), Thor - All Media Types
Genre: BAMF Jane Foster, BAMF Loki, Gen, Hard Science, Infinity Gems, Jane Foster Loves Science, Loki Backstory, Nine Realms, Norse Mythology - Freeform, Other, Shogun - Freeform, Survival, Women of Science, Yggdrasil - Freeform, lokane - Freeform, mythical creatures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-01
Updated: 2015-03-01
Packaged: 2018-03-15 20:14:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 25
Words: 24,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3460475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ragnarok12345/pseuds/ragnarok12345
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After "Ragnarök", the future looks bleak for Asgard and Earth. The Aesir fight to survive, and Jane Foster fights to get home. Written as a shooting script, this story follows "Thor: The Dark World" and is a sequel to "Ragnarök". Ties into the Infinity Gauntlet / Thanos storyline; precedes "Yggdrasil". Lokane, Shogun & hints of Amoradall. Movie 2 of the Ring Cycle Trilogy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Scenes 1-2

**1\. INT. AESIR TENT - DAY**

CLOSE ON the face of JANE FOSTER, eyes closed, unconscious.

CUT to EIR, Valhalla's chief healer, who has come to Jane's side. Behind her, out of focus, are two other women, both dressed in white, and both up to their elbows in dried blood.

EIR  
( _O.S._ )  
She's waking up. Aurbotha, go tell Sif. Bleik, get water.

JANE  
Where am I? Where is -

EIR  
Rest, child. There will be time for all that.

Jane struggles to get up.

JANE  
No, you don't underst-

Eir sets a hand on Jane's shoulder - kind, but firm.

EIR  
I do understand. And your questions will be answered. But you must not struggle.

SIF enters.

SIF _  
_( _warmly_ )  
Jane Foster. It is very good to see you awake.

Eir nods to Sif, and moves away to give them privacy. The DEVICE Jane used to create a gate is on the table next to her, just out of focus.

JANE  
Sif! What happened?

SIF  
You were nearly killed. And Valhalla was nearly destroyed.

JANE  
Destroyed? But Loki -

SIF  
( _nodding_ )  
Hid the city from Surtur, yes. But after Valhalla reappeared, Surtur's demons still remained - and they did plenty of damage. The All-Father was able to banish the first wave - but only at great cost.

Jane again struggles to lift herself out of the bed. Eir, passing by, stops and gives her a look.

JANE  
I shouldn't be here. I need to get back home.

SIF  
( _pained_ )  
I am sorry, Jane Foster - but you cannot.

JANE  
No, you don't understand. I  _have_  to go back. My people are in danger - I have to warn them.

Eir and Sif exchange a look.

JANE  
What? Send me back through the Bifrost. I can't stay here any longer.

Sif hesitates before speaking again.

SIF  
( _quietly_ )  
The Bifrost was destroyed in the battle for Asgard. And the All-Father - he destroyed Loki's passages to Midgard to prevent the fire-demons from going that way.  
( _beat_ )  
I am sorry.

Jane looks at Sif in dismay and alarm.

JANE  
I'm trapped here?

SIF  
Perhaps your device -

JANE  
( _bitterly_ )  
It won't work without a power source. So unless you have another stone -

Sif shakes her head, and says nothing. She looks down.

SIF  
There is more. Jane Foster - you should know -

Sif hesitates, and looks up at Jane.

SIF  
( _continuing_ )  
Thor is dead.

There is a long, terrible pause.

JANE  
( _dumbfounded_ )  
No. No - that can't be.

SIF  
It is. Heimdall saw it himself - Thor threw Surtur into the abyss, but at the cost of his own life. He saved us all.

Jane is stunned, and stares at Sif for a long moment. Her eyes well up with tears, but she does not cry.

SIF  
I know how much he meant to you, as indeed he meant to all of us. I am so sorry.

JANE  
\- and Loki?

SIF  
Dead too, at Surtur's hand.

JANE  
( _shaking her head_ )  
I - I can't believe it. And Odin. To lose two sons -

SIF  
( _sharply_ )  
One son. Do not mourn Loki. If it were not for him, Asgard would not have been attacked, and the All-Father -

She trails off, and then continues, with force:

SIF  
Loki deserved his death.

Jane looks troubled, but says nothing. Sif's expression softens, and she puts a hand on Jane's shoulder.

SIF  
You should rest. I will return for you soon.

2. **EXT. JOTUNHEIM WILDERNESS - DUSK**  
  
A deafening whistling sound, then a powerful explosion. AERIAL SHOT of a cloud of dust; as it clears away, we see a dark crater, with dark veins of cracking ice radiating outward. The camera pans down to view the horizon - a BODY, prone, silhouetted in the moonlight. The shot lingers until two other figures walk up. One of the newcomers - SKADI - gives the prone body a savage kick.

SKAÐI  
( _O.S._ )  
Get up.

There's a low moan from the body, but no movement. The newcomer kicks the body again - much harder, this time.

SKAÐI  
( _O.S._ )  
I said get up.

The body stirs and then drops prone again. Skadi draws a sword and prods the body with it.

SKAÐI  
( _quieter_ )  
Tell me your name, creature, and I will free you from this life.

BODY  
Thor...Loki.

Skadi's gaze narrows. The second figure turns to Skadi.

BREÐI  
He is delirious.

She drops to one knee beside the body. Skadi's voice is quiet, but menacing:

SKAÐI  
( _to the body_ )  
You are not Thor. And Loki is dead.

The camera draws near and it becomes clear that the figure is SURTUR. He turns his broken face to Skadi and coughs weakly, sputtering blood.

SURTUR  
Loki... is not dead.

CLOSE ON Skadi's face - exquisite and angry.

SKAÐI  
( _in a savage whisper_ )  
What did you say?


	2. Scene 3

3\. **EXT. NASTRÖND - DAY**

WIDE SHOT of a bright, blindingly white beach, and white dunes beyond. In the foreground, black, oily waters lap at the shore. In the midground, at the high-tide point, there is a wide, ragged stripe of unrecognizeable black lumps -

\- dead bodies.

CLOSE ON two bare feet - greying flesh cris-crossed by long, bright red gashes. PAN LEFT up the length of a body dressed in green armor so badly broken it's nearly unrecognizeable. The camera stops on the prone, lifeless profile of LOKI.

His face is grey, battered, and bloody. For a long, tense moment, the shot lingers: the only sound is of waves rolling up against the shore. Then, suddenly, he coughs - a wet, ragged, shallow cough that sends a black liquid gurgling up out of his mouth.

Loki rolls to one side, comes to his knees, and coughs up more black liquid onto the shore. When the coughing finally stops, he looks slowly up for the first time at the length of the beach. The shot lingers on thousands of Einherjar bodies that have washed up nearby.

VERDANDI  
( _O.S., triumphant_ )  
Urd! Come quick, I found one.

Loki looks up. RACK FOCUS to a woman about forty to fifty years old, tall and lean and muscular with bronze skin and brilliant white hair, dressed in a shapeless black shift and long gray coat.

VERDANDI  
( _to Loki_ )  
What is your name?

His mouth moves, but no words come out. He's stunned. Verdandi takes a knee and shakes him by the shoulder.

VERDANDI  
( _continuing_ )  
I said, what is your name?

He presses his eyes closed and, upon opening them, begins again.

LOKI  
I - my name is Loki. Of...

He hesitates.

LOKI  
( _continuing_ )  
Of Asgard.

The woman raises both eyebrows in surprise, but says nothing.

LOKI  
( _slowly_ )  
Who are you? And where are we?

By now another figure is approaching - a woman of similar age and similar dress, but with bright, copper-red hair. Verdandi stands as the second woman arrives.

VERDANDI  
( _to the other woman_ )  
He says he is Loki. Odin's Jötunn prince.

URD  
( _frowning_ )  
That seems...unlikely.

LOKI  
You know who I am?

VERDANDI  
( _laughs_ )  
Of course we do. You might say that's our business.

Loki narrows his gaze, interested.

LOKI  
( _slowly_ )  
You're Norns. Fate-spinners.

VERDANDI  
( _cheerfully_ )  
There, you see? He still has his wits.

LOKI  
( _continuing_ )  
But if you are, then - then we -

URD  
\- are in Hel.

LOKI  
Am I dead?

VERDANDI  
( _amiably_ )  
Not yet.

There is a sudden, loud CRACKING SOUND from the sky. The two women look up, and Loki looks up too. The sky is quickly turning from a bright, nondescript gray to an inky black.

LOKI  
Is Thor here? My - the other prince?

The two women exchange a look.

VERDANDI  
( _carefully_ )  
...No.

LOKI  
Then I must go back. Can you help me?

Urd addresses herself to Verdandi, not Loki.

URD  
If he is who he says he is, we cannot interfere.

VERDANDI  
If he is who he says he is, he doesn't belong on this beach.  
( _looks back at Loki_ )  
Not yet.

There is another loud cracking sound, followed by the distant, harrowing sound of a scream of pain.

LOKI  
( _with considerable effort_ )  
Please.

VERDANDI  
( _to Urd_ )  
There is only one way to find out.

URD  
( _coldly_ )  
You're as soft as ever. Better to leave him. If he dies, he dies.

VERDANDI  
( _firmly_ )  
We can't leave him, sister - and you know it. Not here. It's no accident that we found him alive.

A terrible, DEAFENING SCREAM comes from somewhere out at sea, and all three people turn to look. WIDE SHOT of the black ocean, and what appears to be a great serpent surfacing in it. Verdandi turns back to Loki.

VERDANDI  
( _continuing_ )  
Get up. You're going to need to run - _right now_.


	3. Scenes 4-5

**4.**   **EXT. VALHALLA RUINS - SUNSET**

Jane is standing at the broken edge of what was once the Bifröst, looking out at the shattered dome beyond. The sky is a splendid, glowing fanfare of jewel tones - purples and reds and blues.

HEIMDALL  
( _O.S_.)  
You should be careful here, Jane Foster -

CUT TO Heimdall, who has appeared behind her.

HEIMDALL  
(continuing)  
\- it is a very long way down.

Jane turns to face him. Her expression is clouded; she is upset. At length, she nods toward the black expanse below.

JANE  
What's down there?

HEIMDALL  
( _shaking his head_ )  
I do not know.

Heimdall takes one step toward the edge. Standing beside Jane he, too, looks down into the chasm.

HEIMDALL  
( _continuing_ )  
The Aesir believe that this abyss is death. But then, for the Aesir, there are many kinds of death. And from some, you can even return.

Heimdall smiles lightly.

HEIMDALL  
I like to think there always are...possibilities.

Jane says nothing, but looks down at the ragged edge where the Bifrost was broken.

JANE  
A nice thought.

HEIMDALL  
But not one you share.

JANE  
( _sharply_ )  
Not really, no.

She sighs, and raises her hands a little, palms forward, in a gesture of apology.

JANE  
( _continuing_ )  
I'm sorry. Today just - isn't my day.  
( _beat_ )  
I'm something of a fish out of water now. I have no way to get home. Certainly no-one here needs a scientist. And the only person who-

Jane trails off.

JANE  
( _dully_ )  
It doesn't matter.

HEIMDALL  
Do not despair, Jane Foster. You have many friends here. And in truth, I do not think that Thor is dead.

Jane pulls her cloak around her; her face is grave. RACK FOCUS to Heimdall, who looks at Jane with interest.

HEIMDALL  
( _g_ _ently_ )  
For what it is worth, I do not believe Loki is dead either.

Jane doesn't move an inch, but looks sharply at Heimdall.

JANE  
Loki?

HEIMDALL  
You should know that it was Loki who saved your life. Even in his last moments. When he might have saved his own.  
( _beat_ )  
I have seen many strange things in my time. That, I must say, was one of the most unusual.

Jane looks at Heimdall in confusion and surprise before looking away again. There is a pause before she speaks.

JANE  
Everyone back home must assume I'm dead by now anyway.

Heimdall looks into the distance, his eyes unfocused for a moment.

HEIMDALL  
They do not. Even now, they search for you.  
( _bemused_ )  
I - think they are trying to build another gate.

He looks back at Jane.

HEIMDALL  
( _smiling_ )  
Yours are a remarkably persistent people.

Jane returns a faint smile. In the background, there is the sound of footsteps. They turn to look: an EINHERJAR MESSENGER approaches.

MESSENGER  
( _nodding_ )  
Gjallarholder. Jane Foster. The All-Father and the Lady Sif are asking for you.

TRACKING SHOT, in profile, of Jane and Heimdall walking back into the Aesir camp. As they approach Odin's tent, we see Sif standing outside. The shot follows all three inside. An Aesir ATTENDANT follows them in and stands watch at the entrance to the tent.

**5\. INT. ODIN'S TENT - SUNSET**

Within the tent, Odin is lying on a bed. Sif and Heimdall both salute Odin in the traditional way - one fist to the chest, one knee to the ground. Jane remains standing, a few steps behind the others.

ODIN  
Rise,  _beskyttere_. There's no need -

He coughs, and it's a weak, rasping sound. The cough grows faster and has a shallow, liquid nature to it.

ODIN  
( _continuing_ )  
\- no need for ceremony. Not now.

Heimdall and Sif both rise.

ODIN  
( _with difficulty_ )  
I do not have long. And what I have to say I would say to both of you - you who are as near to children as I have left.

Odin addresses himself to Heimdall.

ODIN  
Heimdall - Gjallarholder - I have a particular favor to ask of you.

HEIMDALL  
Anything, All-Father.

ODIN  
Surtur's armies damaged Valhalla - but they have not yet destroyed it. This place has always been our home, and someday it will be our home again. I need you to choose from the Einherjar your hundred best - and rebuild the garrison here. I need you to guard what is left of Valhalla.

Odin takes a deep, shuddering breath.

ODIN  
( _continuing_ )  
And as for your sister -

He addresses himself to Sif.

ODIN  
\- what I ask of you, I do not ask lightly. I have always prized your counsel in matters of war. You and Thor share - shared - the same fire, but you always had a foresight that he did not. Our people need that fire now - and that wisdom.

Odin gestures to the attendant, who steps forward. In his hands is a bundle, wrapped in purple fabric. Odin nods, and the attendant unwraps the bundle - revealing the two broken halves of the spear GUNGNIR.

SIF  
( _shaking her head_ )  
All-Father, no -

ODIN  
It no longer has its power. But its meaning is true as it ever was. Whosoever holds it is is Asgard's King -

Odin looks up at Sif.

ODIN  
\- or its Queen.

SIF  
( _with feeling_ )  
No, All-Father. I cannot. You -

ODIN  
( _firmly_ )  
This is not a request. This is my final command.

With hesitation, Sif takes the bundle from the attendant.

SIF  
I am so sorry - for your losses.

ODIN  
( _smiling_ )  
Do not mourn. I go to join my sons, and my beloved wife. And they will be honored to know that you are Queen.  
( _beat_ )  
Lead our people to safety,  _min rogn_. Once you have done that, perhaps you can reclaim our home.

SIF  
( _hoarsely_ )  
I will honor you, All-Father.

TRACKING SHOT of Sif as she bows once more to Odin, turns, and walks out of the tent. The shot follows her as she continues through the tent city of Aesir refugees with Gungnir in her arms. There is the sound of a MOURNFUL HORN in the distance, and she stops in her tracks. A 360-DEGREE TRACKING PAN centered on Sif's face shows both the depth of her grief and the passage of time: when the shot comes full-circle, night has passed and the sun is rising. There is the indistinct sound of speech, becoming more and more clear as it is repeated:

VOLSTAGG  
( _O.S._ )  
My queen.

Sif blinks slowly, and turns to see her friend and fighting partner VOLSTAGG, at her elbow.

VOLSTAGG  
( _continuing_ )  
Our scouts say that the second wave of Surtur's demons will be upon us by nightfall.  
( _beat_ )  
What are our orders?

Sif narrows her gaze, and almost imperceptibly tightens her grip on Gungnir.

SIF  
Have our people ready to move in three hours.  
( _looking back out across the camp_ )  
We're going to Vanaheim.


	4. Scene 6

**6\. EXT. JOTUNHEIM WILDERNESS - MORNING**

WIDE SHOT of the Jötunheim horizon - bleak and terrible and cold. Against the blue light of the rising sun, two figures can be seen in silhouette. One of them throws a spade's worth of dirt onto a mound, then tamps the dirt down with one foot. CUT TO Skadi, crouched over Surtur's makeshift grave. She smoothes the dirt over with one hand.

BREÐI  
What will you do now?

SKAÐI  
( _gravely_ )  
I will find Loki.

She stands up, and brushes her hands off on her thighs.

SKAÐI  
( _continuing_ )  
And then I will kill him myself.

Bredi turns and gives Skadi a curious look.

SKAÐI  
It was Loki who framed me, so long ago. Loki, whose lies caused the All-Father to banish me here - to this miserable hell-hole.

Her expression hardens, and she shakes her head.

SKAÐI  
( _continuing_ )  
All these years, I believed he was already dead. I admit, part of me is delighted to have been wrong. Destroying him will give me tremendous satisfaction.

BREÐI  
But you cannot leave Jotunheim.

Skadi smiles faintly, closes her eyes, and lifts her chin. She inhales deeply through her nose.

SKAÐI  
I can now. The All-Father's magic that held me here is broken. I can feel it.

BREÐI  
That may be. But he is still a prince of Asgard, with magic of his own. He could be anywhere.

SKAÐI  
You're right, of course. We can't expect to find him on our own.  
( _beat_ )  
But I know someone who can. Someone who can see across the Nine Realms - and beyond.

She looks to Bredi.

SKAÐI  
( _continuing_ )  
Are you ready?

Bredi nods.

Skadi extends her arms beside her, palms-down. She flicks her wrists and turns her hands palms-up.

There is a DEEP RUMBLE from within the earth, and the ground on either side of Skadi splits open with a DEAFENING CRACK. From the fissures, two ENORMOUS DRAGONS emerge - each one at least a hundred feet long, with snow-white, scaly flesh, vast leathery wings, and bright, cobalt-blue eyes. One of the dragons opens its mouth, revealing three rows of razor-sharp fangs - it gives a long, haunting call that echoes across the empty wilderness.

Skadi flicks her wrists again, palms-down, and the two dragons bow low to the ground. She grabs one by its scales and pulls herself up so she is sitting astride its great neck. She turns to Bredi.

SKAÐI  
( _grinning_ )  
Let's go.


	5. Scene 7

**7\. EXT. NASTRÖND - DAY**

CONTRAST CUT to Loki, Verdandi and Urd, running at full speed inland across the beach of the dead. CLOSE SHOTS of their faces and their feet as they hurtle forward - away from the water, across the sand, and toward a tangled black forest and steep gray cliffs rising up beyond. Loki is the slowest of the three - still pale and bloody, he stumbles now and then across a corpse in his path. The shot widens to show their pursuer -

\- an enormous, blue-black SERPENT. The creature is some two hundred feet long, and its massive, muscular body is at least twenty feet in diameter. AERIAL SHOT of the massive snake speeding toward the three in seemingly effortless concertina motion.

VERDANDI  
( _shouting_ )  
Make for the woods! There's a door-

Her shout is cut off as the snake's great head slams into the ground behind her with a tremendous CRASH. Jaws open, it snaps at her - she narrowly dodges it.

The three run on into the woods. The snake follows, and there are DEAFENING CRACKS as it brings down tall black trees in its wake. As the serpent draws up close to Urd, she turns, gestures with one arm, and over one shoulder shouts:

URD  
 _Steinkjøtt_!

The snake, which had been only inches from her heels, stops short: it seems to slam into some invisible barrier. It is stunned for a moment - but then quick resumes its pursuit.

Loki, meanwhile, has reached the place where the sheer cliff face rises up from the earth. It is for all practical purposes a rock wall - there is no visible door. He gestures toward the cliff with both hands, but nothing happens. He tries again - same result.

Loki looks briefly in dismay at his hands, before looking back up at the cliff.

LOKI  
( _shouting_ )  
There is no door!

He looks back, and Urd and Verdandi are still running toward him at full speed. The snake is close now, its jaws wide open. At this distance the clotted blood between its massive fangs can be seen.

LOKI  
( _louder, more urgent_ )  
There is no d-

THUD! Before he can finish, Verdandi rushes at Loki and Urd, sacks them, and carries them forward. For a moment, the cliff face shimmers, and the three pass through. As they do, the cliff becomes solid again, and the snake crashes into it with a LOUD CRASH.


	6. Scene 8

**8\. INT. A CAVERN IN HEL - DAY**

Loki, Urd, and Verdandi tumble forward; it is pitch-black. There is a pause, then:

URD  
( _breathless, whispering_ )  
 _Santlett_.

One by one, tiny globes of light appear. They rise upward like bubbles, casting an eerie blueish glow.

For the first time, we can see that the three runners have landed in a vast cave, hundreds of feet across and as high as the cliff itself had been. Where they have landed is rocky, but just ahead of them the cave slopes downward and evens out into a smooth, level floor. Beyond that, a large, square doorway leads further into the darkness.

As Urd releases more lights into the air, Loki dusts himself off and slowly comes to his feet.

LOKI  
What was that?

CUT TO Verdandi, sitting on the ground nearby. She hasn't gotten up; she's been rummaging through her belongings for something to eat.

VERDANDI  
( _around a mouthful of food)  
_ Mmf - Nidhogg.

LOKI  
( _incredulous_ )  
I've seen Nidhoggr. They were nowhere near that size.

URD  
You have seen the babies. That -

She gestures back the way they came in.

URD  
( _continuing_ )  
\- that was the mother.  
( _beat_ )  
It gnaws on the bodies it finds on the beach. You would have been one of those bodies, had my soft-hearted sister not saved your life.

Urd looks at Verdandi in dismay.

URD  
And you: how can you eat at a time like this?

VERDANDI  
( _swallowing_ )  
What? I'm hungry.

URD  
Fine. I am going back out. The serpent has passed - for now - and I still have my rounds to make.

She gives Verdandi a scathing look.

URD  
( _continuing_ )  
As do you.

Verdandi swallows a bite of her food, and slowly comes to her feet.

VERDANDI  
I'll join you. But first I'll take him to see her.

Urd scoffs. Loki raises an eyebrow.

LOKI  
"Her"?

VERDANDI  
Hela. If you want to leave this realm - or see your brother ever again - you'll need her permission.

LOKI  
( _coldly_ )  
I need no permission.

VERDANDI  
( _lightly_ )  
Actually, you do. You may be a prince of Asgard - or Jotunheim - or what-have you - but here, Hela has dominion.  
( _beat_ )  
It was Odin who made it so.

URD  
( _to Verdandi_ )  
Suit yourself. But when she turns you back at the gate, do not say I did not warn you.

Without another word, Urd turns and steps back through the rock wall through which they had come.

LOKI  
( _looking around_ )  
So what is this place?

VERDANDI  
It is the beginning of the Gjallarbrú - the path to Hela's palace at Éljúðnir.

LOKI  
When I tried to reveal the door to this cave, nothing happened.

VERDANDI  
( _nodding_ )  
Your magic will not work here. In any other realm your magic would draw on the energy all around you - in the air, in the water. But here, there is no energy to draw. This place truly is dead.

She begins walking toward the square doorway that leads further into the cave. Loki follows.

VERDANDI  
You may see things, on the path. Memories of the past. Glimpses of the living world as it is now. Even visions of the future.

Verdandi turns to look at Loki momentarily.

VERDANDI  
( _continuing_ )  
I am sure I don't need to tell  _you_  not to trust everything you see.

They pass through the doorway. Ahead of them, the cave gives way to a vast, sprawling LABYRINTH - miles and miles in every direction. Urd's lights fan out across the labyrinth like fireflies.

Loki briefly turns to look back at the entrance to the cave. For just an instant, he catches a fleeting glimpse of someone passing the doorway and looking in at him -

\- it's Jane.

He stops in his tracks, momentarily stunned. Verdandi stops as well.

VERDANDI  
What? What did you see?

LOKI  
( _shaking his head_ )  
Nothing.


	7. Scene 9

**9\. EXT. ASGARD WILDERNESS - DAY**

AERIAL SHOT of the Aesir refugees, moving slowly across the wide gold plains of the Asgard countryside. About thirty-thousand people are all that is left of the Aesir people. Many of them are traveling on foot; others move on horseback or in large carts. CUT to Sif, Hogun, and Fandral, riding at the front, already in mid-conversation. Jane and Volstagg are riding a few paces behind them.

FANDRAL  
There is still time.

SIF  
( _firmly_ )  
Fandral, you are to me like a blood brother, but we are  _not_  having this discussion again.

FANDRAL  
Every day we travel further from Asgard is a day lost -

SIF  
The decision is already made.

FANDRAL  
Then the decision is wrong -

Sif shoots him a warning glance.

FANDRAL  
\- my Queen.  
( _beat_ )  
If we reach Vanaheim -  _if_  - then we're still on foreign soil, trying to fight this battle in a land we know nothing about. And more importantly, we have no reason to believe the Vanir will come to our aid. The Concordat -

SIF  
( _interrupting_ )  
The Concordat still holds. Our relations with the Vanir may not be what they once were, but there are some promises that cannot be broken.

FANDRAL  
That promise _can_ be broken, and I wager it _will_ be broken in the face of an existential threat like this one.

SIF  
The Concordat was made for precisely that kind of threat.

FANDRAL  
The Concordat is at least a thousand years old! And how much have Aesir-Vanir relations deteriorated since then? Lest we forget, there was a war -

SIF  
( _interrupting_ )  
\- but then there was a peace. Hard-won and long-fought, but peace all the same.

Sif looks at Fandral for a long moment, her face grave.

SIF  
( _continuing_ )  
I know that you think I am naive. But you would have me pit an army of children and cripples against Muspel's horde. My plan might fail - but yours is guaranteed to.

FANDRAL  
Sif - my Queen - if we do not turn and fight now, we will bleed out at the feet of the Vanir, and they will do nothing.

Fandral scoffs, and looks to Hogun.

FANDRAL  
You know what I say is true. They are your people, after all. Come on, man, speak up.

Hogun says nothing, but only raises an eyebrow to Fandral.

FANDRAL  
( _sarcastically_ )  
Oh, just as helpful and conversational as usual. Thanks.

Hogun smiles amiably.

CUT TO Jane and Volstagg, riding a few feet behind.

VOLSTAGG  
( _to Jane_ )  
Are you alright? You seem ill.

JANE  
I - I'm a little out of sorts. I had a strange dream last night.  
( _beat_ )  
It's nothing.  
( _clearly wanting to change the subject_ )  
So what's this "Concordat"?

VOLSTAGG  
An agreement, forged ages ago, when the realms were young. By its terms, the Vanir and the Aesir agreed to come to each other's aid, if either realm was ever threatened.

JANE  
Sounds handy.

VOLSTAGG  
( _nodding_ )  
If it is honored, it will be. But a great deal has changed since it was struck. The All-Father increased his power over all the realms, including Vanaheim. And he claimed exclusive dominion over your people, on Midgard. Neither of these things pleased the Vanir.

JANE  
What is Vanaheim like?

VOLSTAGG  
( _thoughtfully_ )  
Very different from Asgard. Where Asgard is all plains and mountains, Vanaheim is all hills and dark forests. And the Vanir don't have cities, as we do - they are nomads, living in tents.

Volstagg chuckles.

VOLSTAGG  
( _continuing_ )  
So now we will have  _that_  in common, at least.

JANE  
But Hogun - he's a Vanir.

VOLSTAGG  
He is. And not just any Vanir - he is their crown prince.

JANE  
( _sputtering_ )  
Wait - what? Seriously?

Volstagg nods.

VOLSTAGG  
He is the oldest son of their king - and a distant relation of Queen Frigga, may her name be a blessing.

He inclines his head a little.

JANE  
Then what is he doing here, with all of you?

VOLSTAGG  
( _shrugging_ )  
He was Vanaheim's only emissary to Valhalla for some hundred years. Then at some point he decided to make the change permanent.

Volstagg nods toward Sif, a very faint grin on his face.

VOLSTAGG  
( _continuing, drily_ )  
I can't imagine why.

Jane opens her mouth to ask another question, but she is interrupted when Fandral drops back to join them.

FANDRAL  
( _to himself_ )  
Stubborn woman!

VOLSTAGG  
That stubborn woman is your Queen. And our All-Mother.

FANDRAL  
( _laughing_ )  
"All-Mother"! Can you imagine? Sif is about as maternal as a...Nidhogg.

JANE  
( _to Volstagg_ )  
Sounds like someone's a little jealous.

FANDRAL  
Jealous! Me, never. If I were king, they would have to hide me away for my safety, and the world would be deprived of seeing this -  
( _gestures_ )  
\- this beautiful face.

He sighs in exasperation.

FANDRAL  
( _continuing_ )  
In any case, it is not that I think Sif is wrong, necessarily. But I do have a bad feeling about all this.

JANE  
( _bitterly_ )  
You and me both. But at least, when push comes to shove, you can defend yourselves from whatever comes at you.

Fandral and Volstagg exchange a confused look.

FANDRAL  
Who's "Push"?

VOLSTAGG  
Where's "Shove"?

Jane rolls her eyes, and makes a dismissive gesture.

FANDRAL  
Though come to think of it, that is something, at least, that we can do something about.

JANE  
What is?

FANDRAL  
We can teach you how to survive here. How to fight, and how to live off the land. Give you some skills of your own. And this big bag of meat here can be your punching-bag.

VOLSTAGG  
Oh, _thanks_.

JANE  
( _surprised, doubtful_ )  
Really?

Volstagg shrugs. Fandral nods vigorously.

FANDRAL  
Absolutely. It will keep us out of trouble on this journey, and give you some peace of mind. What do you say?

Jane thinks about it for a moment -

JANE  
What the hell.

Fandral beams, and claps Jane on the shoulder, sending her lurching forward.

FANDRAL  
 _Storartet_! When we camp down for the night, come find me.

Without another word, Fandral pulls his horse away from Jane and Volstagg, and rides away toward the back of the group.

JANE  
( _to Volstagg_ )  
This could be a terrible idea.

VOLSTAGG  
( _grinning_ )  
Come now, Jane Foster. What is the worst that could happen?

CLOSE CUT to Jane's face, skeptical. Behind her, the colors of the sky quickly shift - in an instant it is...


	8. Scene 10

**10\. EXT. ASGARD WILDERNESS - DUSK**

...dusk. ZOOM OUT from Jane's face to show her, now dressed in Aesir sparring gear, on the ground. Volstagg stands across from her, and Fandral reclines against a nearby rock, intermittently taking bites out of an apple.

FANDRAL  
Again. Stop trying to jump back - instead, roll away from him and get back up.

Jane slowly comes to her feet.

JANE  
( _frustrated_ )  
He's huge -

She nods to Volstagg.

JANE  
( _to Volstagg_ )  
\- no offense.

Volstagg shrugs.

JANE  
( _to Fandral_ )  
And I'm tiny. I can't get away from him fast enough.

Fandral takes another bite from the apple.

FANDRAL  
( _his mouth full_ )  
Your small size can help you.  
( _swallowing_ )  
Tuck your knees into your chest, and roll over one shoulder. Pivot on that shoulder. Then roll completely backward - and get up.

He nods to Volstagg. Volstagg lunges forward and swings at Jane. It's a slow punch - not designed to kill. Jane falls backwards, but this time, rolls backward over her right shoulder and comes to her feet again.

JANE  
( _catching her breath_ )  
I'll be damned.

FANDRAL  
( _grinning_ )  
Again!

JANE  
Oh, come o-

She is interrupted when Volstagg lunges at her again.

EXTENDED MONTAGE of shots of Jane and Volstagg sparring while Fandral, always eating an apple, looks on: across different days, in different outfits, in different places. In the early shots Jane is steadily improving at dodging Volstagg's attacks; in the later shots, she begins attacking Volstagg herself, first disarming him, and then aiming to inflict damage. In the last shot, Volstagg tries to attack Jane with a short stick (a dummy knife); Jane dodges his attack, grabs his arm from the outside, and forces him to "stab himself" with the weapon. Volstagg drops to the ground.

Fandral puts one hand up in the air.

FANDRAL  
Enough! Let us rest, I am exhausted.

CUT to Jane and Volstagg, both drenched in sweat and both covered in bruises.

JANE  
( _sarcastically_ )  
You.  _You're_  exhausted.

FANDRAL  
I am. This is hard work.

He winks at Jane.

Jane looks around her. The three of them are on a low hill, and the Aesir are camped-down for the night all around them. There are flat plains as far as the eye can see, except for one massive mountain, behind which the sun is setting.

She nods in the direction of the mountain.

JANE  
What's that?

VOLSTAGG  
( _slowly coming to his feet_ )  
Baldrshol. Baldr's Hill - it marks the easternmost border of the colonized Aesir lands, and the beginning of the wastes that lay between Asgard and Vanaheim.

JANE  
Baldr?

Fandral and Volstagg exchange a look. For a moment, it's not clear which one is going to reply.

FANDRAL  
Thor's brother.

JANE  
( _puzzled_ )  
A third brother?

Fandral nods.

FANDRAL  
The dreamer. It was Baldr, not Thor, who was the oldest - the one meant to inherit the All-Father's throne. But he was killed, hundreds of years ago, by the woman he was supposed to marry.

Fandral takes a bite of his apple.

FANDRAL  
( _continuing_ )  
It was a shame, really. Everyone loved Baldr.  
( _laughs_ )  
Well, except Loki. They hated each other since childhood.

Jane raises an eyebrow.

JANE  
Oh?

VOLSTAGG  
To make matters worse, Baldr's betrothed betrayed him - with Loki. Or so they say. She claimed she was innocent - but only Baldr believed her. The wedding was called off, despite Baldr's protests. She was sent home in shame.

FANDRAL  
Until she returned, years later, and murdered Baldr in cold blood.

VOLSTAGG  
( _emphatically_ )  
...or so they say.

FANDRAL  
Right. There was always something suspicious about that whole affair.

JANE  
So what happened to her? This -

She trails off, not knowing the woman's name. Fandral supplies it:

FANDRAL  
\- Skadi. Odin banished her to the wastes of Jotunheim for all eternity. A fate worse than death, in a prison made of ice.

Fandral brushes himself off and comes to his feet.

FANDRAL  
( _continuing, gravely_ )  
For her sake, I hope she died there.


	9. Scene 11

**11\. INT. LABYRINTH IN HEL - EVENING**

CUT TO two figures in silhouette, making their way down a dark tunnel toward an eerie, blueish light in the distance. They talk as they walk:

LOKI  
So you can use magic here - but I cannot.

VERDANDI  
I belong here. In a very real sense, I am part of this place. You - you're not.  
( _beat_ )  
Not yet, anyway.

LOKI  
( _smiling_ )  
I suppose I have you to thank for that.

Verdandi gives Loki a strange look.

VERDANDI  
Don't thank me just yet.

Ahead of them, the horizon splits open into a blinding blue light. After a moment the light fades, revealing a wide cavern, lit from above by moonlight that pours in through a narrow hole. The cavern is partially flooded - about three inches deep in water. The moonlight reflects off the water in every direction.

At the center of the cavern is an outcropping of rocks; slumped against it and chained to it is a teenaged boy. His face is younger and he lacks his armor, but it is unmistakably YOUNG LOKI.

Loki is shocked. Then he's angry. In an instant, he turns to Verdandi, his voice a savage whisper:

LOKI  
What in Hel is this?

He lunges at her, and seizes her by the throat.

LOKI  
( _continuing_ )  
Explain yourself, witch. What is this?

Verdandi makes a small gesture with one free hand, and for just an instant, she becomes insubstantial. She steps backward, beyond his grasp.

VERDANDI  
No need to get personal. I didn't create this. It's  _your_  memory.

She shrugs.

VERDANDI  
( _continuing_ )  
Or future. Who can say.

Loki looks back into the cavern - at himself. Verdandi leans toward Loki:

VERDANDI  
You don't have to whisper, you know. He can't hear or see you.

LOKI  
( _shaken_ )  
What does it mean?

VERDANDI  
I told you you would see things in here. Only you will know what they mean.  
( _glancing back into the cavern_ )  
There must be something here that you're meant to see.

LOKI  
( _bitterly_ )  
Or someone.

Verdandi raises an eyebrow.

VERDANDI  
Oh?

LOKI  
Odin's most beloved son.

VERDANDI  
Thor.

Loki shakes his head.

LOKI  
No. That came later.

There is the sound of footsteps coming closer; then, YOUNG BALDR enters the cavern. He, too, is a young man - dressed head to toe in a blue metallic armor that is iridescent in the moonlight. He's as tall as Thor, but his features are more refined; elegant, even. His hair and beard are fire-red.

WIDE SHOT of Young Baldr crossing the cavern to the place where YOUNG LOKI is chained.

YOUNG BALDR  
Wake up.

There is no response. Young Baldr makes a gesture with one hand, and the water near his feet gathers, takes shape, and rises up in a solid mass. With another gesture, he SLAPS Young Loki in the face with the wall of water. Young Loki groans - he's awake.

YOUNG BALDR  
Are you ready to apologize?

YOUNG LOKI  
( _slowly, with effort_ )  
I owe you no apology.

VERDANDI  
( _to Loki_ )  
Apologize for what?

LOKI _  
_( _to Verdandi_ )  
I...ruined a feast.

VERDANDI  
( _to Loki_ )  
A feast?

LOKI  
( _to Verdandi)  
_ An engagement feast.  
( _beat_ )  
You are sure they cannot see us?

Verdandi nods. Loki begins walking toward the center of the cavern. SLOW 180 PAN from Loki to Young Baldr and Young Loki, until all three are together in one shot.

YOUNG BALDR  
Well? Do you not have anything to say for yourself? If you apologize - if you beg - I may consider freeing you.

YOUNG LOKI  
( _sneering_ )  
You're as stupid as Thor. Twice as stupid, if you expect me to ask  _you_  for forgiveness.

YOUNG BALDR  
You're such a child.

YOUNG LOKI  
Come on. It was a joke and you know it.

YOUNG BALDR  
She didn't. She is lucky her people even took her back. I may never see her again.

YOUNG LOKI  
Then she is a fool, and you should thank me for saving you from a terrible, stupid wife.

Without warning, Young Baldr BACKHANDS Young Loki; the sound echoes through the cavern like a shot.

YOUNG BALDR  
Mongrel scum. I will never understand why the All-Father scraped you off the ground and kept you.

YOUNG LOKI  
( _grinning, taunting_ )  
He needed at least one son with sense. He certainly could not count on gullible, idiot Baldr and his filthy whore bride.

It seems for a moment as if Young Baldr is going to strike Young Loki again. The moment passes, though, and Young Baldr inhales deeply.

YOUNG BALDR  
But that's where you're wrong, trickster. I am and always will be the favored son. You -

Young Baldr trails off, draws near to Young Loki, and crouches down. In a gesture that at first seems almost tender, he places his fingers to Young Loki's mouth. As he continues speaking, the sinister purpose of his gesture becomes clear. From beneath his fingers, something like black thread fans out above and below Young Loki's lips.

Young Baldr is _sewing Young Loki's mouth shut._

YOUNG BALDR  
( _continuing_ )  
\- no-one will miss you, half-breed. In fact, no-one will even notice that you are gone. No-one will wonder about you, no-one will search for you, and no-one will mourn you. And by the time you see the light of day again, I will be your king.

By now Verdandi has walked up to join Loki at the center of the cavern, just steps away from Young Baldr and Young Loki.

VERDANDI  
( _to Loki_ )  
So he did free you?

CUT TO Young Baldr, walking away. Young Loki, still at the rock, is thrashing and screaming - but no sound is coming out. Loki watches Young Baldr as he leaves the cavern.

LOKI  
I freed myself. In time.

VERDANDI  
( _to Loki_ )  
How much time?

Loki turns back to Young Loki.

LOKI  
( _quietly_ )  
Five hundred years.


	10. Scene 12

**12\. EXT. VALHALLA RUINS - SUNSET**

WIDE SHOT of the broken Bifrost at sunset. Heimdall stands at the cliff's edge, facing the shattered dome. Both he and the broken bridge are in silhouette - stark contrast against the setting sun.

HEIMDALL  
You tread lightly enough -

He turns.

HEIMDALL  
( _continuing_ )  
But your friend is as loud as a troll.

Behind him is Skadi, standing very still, her hands behind her back. Further off, in the distance, Bredi is facing away from them, his hands up in the air - weaving a spell. Heimdall quickly reaches for a stone set into the gauntlet on his left arm, but Skadi shakes her head.

SKAÐI  
Don't bother. No-one will hear it.

Heimdall touches the stone anyway, but nothing happens. He narrows his gaze at Skadi.

HEIMDALL  
What do you want?

SKAÐI  
Do you know who I am?

HEIMDALL  
I know you, murderer. I saw you bring down Baldr in the Queen's garden.

SKAÐI  
Your eyes deceived you. It was the treacherous Loki who brought Baldr down - not me.

HEIMDALL  
You and Loki deserved each other. You are as much a liar as he ever was.

SKAÐI  
"Was"?  
( _scoffs_ )  
I know that the Aesir are a simple people, but you cannot really believe that Loki has changed. Once a monster, always a monster.

HEIMDALL  
( _coldly_ )  
What do you want?

SKAÐI  
Tell me where he is.

HEIMDALL  
Obliterated, at Surtur's hand. There was nothing left to send over the Falls.  
( _beat_ )  
You are too late, jötunnkvinne.

She shakes her head and laughs.

SKAÐI  
You can hide him from your vengeful sister - but not from me. I know he is alive. Tell me where he is, and I will spare your soldiers an ugly death.

HEIMDALL  
You will get nothing from me.

SKAÐI  
So be it.

Skadi draws two WICKED BLADES - each one like a cutlass, but with hooks at the ends of the blades and the bases of the hilts. She lunges at Heimdall, who steps quickly back out of her way and draws his own greatsword from behind his back. An EXTENDED SWORDFIGHT follows.

At one point Skadi gets some distance from Heimdall. She links her two blades together by their hooks, and flings the doubled weapon out at Heimdall. Its hooked hilt catches him in the cheek and tears a wide, ugly wound down to his jaw. He bellows in pain, but then grabs the weapon in one hand and pulls Skadi toward him. She falls at his feet.

Heimdall brings his sword down to strike Skadi, but she rolls away and the sword hits the earth with a great CRASH. Skadi grabs a handful of dirt and throws it up in Heimdall's face. He staggers back and she leaps at him - but her movement is stopped suddenly when Heimdall lunges forward out of the dust and PUNCHES her solidly in the face. There's blood everywhere.

BREDI  
( _concerned, yelling_ )  
Skadi!

SKAÐI  
Stay there and hold that spell!

Heimdall comes forward after her, and the two exchange blows as Skadi uses her feet to propel herself away from him on the ground. Skadi slides backward into a rock and stops for an instant - it's long enough for Heimdall to knock Skadi's interlocked swords out of her hands. He has his sword at Skadi's throat:

Fredelig søvn, snødatter.

He is about to make the fatal cut when Skadi whispers through clenched teeth:

SKAÐI  
( _breathlessly_ )  
I found your enchantress -HEIMDALL

She grins, but it's grisly, blood-spattered smile.

SKAÐI  
( _continuing_ )  
Amora, was it?

HEIMDALL  
( _shaken_ )  
...You lie.

SKAÐI  
( _hissing_ )  
Living with the Norns, far beyond your sight. Until I found her. And took her.

Heimdall hesitates, and for an instant, he lifts the sword from Skadi's throat. It's just long enough for Skadi to wrest her arm free, draw the knife from her hip scabbard, and drive the knife up between two plates in Heimdall's armor, and between his ribs. Heimdall groans in pain and falls back, clutching his side. Blood is pouring from between the plates.

Skadi seizes the opportunity, lunches forward and brings her bloodied hands to either side of Heimdall's face. Blue-white light flickers out around her fingers.

SKAÐI  
( _savagely_ )  
Show me what you saw.

In an instant, a series of images flash in rapid succession. The empty Asgard, with Valhalla removed. The final battle between Surtur, Thor, and Loki. Thor and Surtur going over the cliff's edge. Loki's selfless act, saving Jane. Loki falling to the ground unconscious. And then something unusual: a tall pale woman in black and green robes, wearing an elaborate black mask. She approaches Loki's body, and makes a small gesture. His body rises into the air, just a few inches off the ground. Then a moment later, both she and the body are gone.

Heimdall brings one arm up and swings at Skadi; the vision is broken. Skadi releases his face, and his head hits the ground with a THUD. His eyes shut again. He's still breathing, but in terrible condition.

Skadi turns, and shouts over her shoulder:

SKAÐI  
Bredi! Bring him. We have no time to lose.


	11. Scene 13

**13\. EXT. ASGARD WILDERNESS - NIGHT**

AERIAL SHOT approaching the Aesir camp, just at the edge of a steep cliff that gives way to a deep river-ravine beyond. Just beyond the camp is a narrow land-bridge that connects the camp-side cliffs in the west to the vast wasteland bordering Vanaheim in the east. There are three blue-white moons in the sky, but apart from their light the scene is nearly pitch-black.

CUT TO Sif, asleep in her tent. Even while sleeping, she clutches the now-mended spear Gungnir in her hands.

Suddenly, in the distance, there is a faint but audible HOWL, haunting and harrowing. CLOSE ON Sif's face as her eyes quickly open. In an instant, she is on her feet and across the tent, assembling her armor. The front flap of the tent flies open:

HOGUN  
( _bursting in_ )  
Did you hear it too?

SIF  
I did.

She quickly buckles on her cuirass and pauldrons.

SIF  
( _continuing_ )  
What is it?

HOGUN  
( _shaking his head_ )  
I don't know.  
( _beat_ )  
Are you ready to ride?

Sif nods. The shot follows the two as they rush out of the tent, mount their horses and begin riding toward the back of the convoy encampment. An EXTENDED AERIAL SHOT follows them as they speed between the tents; in the distance the HOWL can be heard again, a little louder this time.

Hogun and Sif reach the end of the camp, where the ground rises up to a wide plateau. Hogun unhooks a spyglass from his belt, and lifts it; following his gaze, the camera WHIP PANS quickly westward down the plains to...

WOLVES! Two enormous creatures, each one the size of ten men, thundering down the plains toward the camp. Their flesh is black but glows as if filled with embers - just as Surtur's had.

HOGUN  
Muspel wolves.

He turns to Sif, his face pale.

SIF  
( _in a whisper_ )  
Vanargandir.

Hogun nods.

HOGUN  
The forward scouts for what's left of Surtur's army.

SIF  
So they've caught up with us.  
( _beat_ )  
How many did you see?

HOGUN  
Two. Not so many -

SIF  
\- but more than enough. We have to warn the others.

Scenes of chaos: QUICK CUTS to Sif and Hogun, riding back toward and through the camp. As they go. their shouts wake the Aesir refugees. All around the camp, torches are lit, tents are emptying, and the Aesir are mounting their horses and riding toward the land-bridge to the east.

SIF  
( _shouting as she rides_ )  
Leave the tents and the supplies! Take only what you can carry!

HOGUN  
( _shouting to others_ )  
Two to a mount! Get to the bridge!

Volstagg and Fandral ride up alongside Sif and Hogun in the center of the camp. All around them, the camp is in uproar - shouting, the sound of horses thundering by, and in the distance, the howls growing louder.

SIF  
( _urgently_ )  
Brødre, I have never been gladder to see you. I need you to help me get these people to the other side. The bridge is weak - we can break it once we're across.

VOLSTAGG  
Of course.

Without a word, Volstagg and Fandral ride away to round up the refugees. Sif turns her horse, too, but Hogun stops her:

HOGUN  
Wait. Where is Jane Foster?

Sif looks around at the increasingly empty camp. She shakes her head:

SIF  
I do not know.  
( _beat_ )  
She would train outside camp each night -

HOGUN  
I will find her. Get your people to the other side.

He turns his horse, but Sif catches his arm.

SIF  
( _hoarsely_ )  
Do not die.

Hogun gives her a rare smile, then spurs his horse to a run.

WIDE SHOT of Hogun riding westward through the camp at full speed, then a QUICK PAN to show the wolves approaching from the opposite direction. He races the perimeter of the camp until he sees torchlight on a hill a little ways away. As he approaches at speed, we can see Jane, in silhouette, a sword in her hand and her headphones in her ears. Her own horse, nervous and pacing, is tethered to a low tree nearby.

Hogun draws a coin out from the back of his left glove and throws it; it hits Jane's sword with a loud clang. She stops, turns, and tugs her headphones from her ears.

JANE  
What's w-

There is a deafening HOWL, and the ground begins to shake. The wolves are close now.

HOGUN  
Get on your horse and follow me!

In an instant, Jane is across the hill and on her horse with an ease that speaks to the extent of her training. In one motion she slices the horse's tether in two, and she and Hogun are riding eastward again at all possible speed.

QUICK SHOTS of the wolves closing in, just behind them as they weave between the empty tents of what had been the Aesir camp. Hogun is ahead of Jane by only a few meters, and the wolves are closing in, their wide jaws SNAPPING at the legs of Jane's horse.

Just as the wolves are close enough to catch them, they reach the bridge. Hogun thunders across, but behind him the bridge begins to fracture. Without hesitation, Jane follows him just as a great wolf LUNGES for her -

\- but as she crosses, the bridge gives way beneath her horse's hooves. She spurs her horse to jump for the far side, but it's not enough. In one awful instant, the wolves skid to a stop, Hogun makes it to the opposite side, and Jane and her horse TUMBLE DOWN the middle of the ravine. The only sound is the WOLVES' HOWL, fainter as she falls. SLOW MOTION shot of Jane from above, falling, silently screaming, with the black waters of the river racing up beneath her -

CUT TO BLACK.


	12. Scene 14

**14\. INT. LABYRINTH IN HEL - DAWN**

Out of the BLACK, PAN UP through shadows to Loki's face. He is sitting, cross-legged, on the ground at the edge of the cavern from his flashback, still watching YOUNG LOKI thrash against his chains.

VERDANDI  
Loki.

She shakes him by his shoulder.

VERDANDI  
Loki. You've been standing here for nine hours now. We have to keep moving.

Loki turns his head to look up Verdandi, and then turns back to face the cavern.

LOKI  
No.

VERDANDI  
( _insistent_ )  
You must.

Loki still says nothing. She takes a deep breath:

VERDANDI  
You cannot stay here. She won't let you.

Still he says nothing.

VERDANDI  
( _continuing_ )  
And if you turn back now you will die on that shore, truly and finally, just like all the others. You'll never see your brother - or anyone else - ever again.

Loki looks at her again, and his expression is haunted.

LOKI  
I do not want to remember more.

VERDANDI  
( _firmly_ )  
It's the only way. Come on.

There is a long pause - but finally, Loki stands. His movements are slow, as if he has been asleep a thousand years. He tears his eyes away from the younger, tormented version of himself, and he and Verdandi continue down the dark tunnel. In the distance, there is another faint light, this one yellow-gold.

As Loki and Verdandi get closer, the golden light fills their view. Then, after a moment, the light fades. The two are now outside, on a winding path leading up the side of a tall mountain overlooking Valhalla. It is Baldrshol, Baldur's Hill. On one side of the mountain a cave-mouth leads into darkness.

A figure stumbles out of the cave-mouth. It is a man, covered in wounds and sores and dirt and clotted blood. He is malnourished if not starving, and his black and green clothes hang loose on his stricken body. He has a long beard, and his black hair hands in a loose, greasy knot at his back.

It is YOUNG LOKI.

VERDANDI  
( _gasps_ )  
Dritt. You look... terrible.

Young Loki stumbles forward, shielding his eyes from the bright light with one arm. After a moment he lurches forward, and haltingly makes his way down the mountainside toward Valhalla.

Verdandi and Loki follow.

VERDANDI  
This is when you freed yourself?

Loki looks at her, but says nothing.

VERDANDI  
( _continuing_ )  
You know, you can talk to me. It might even he-

LOKI  
( _snapping at her_ )  
Help? Help? Stupid, sick,  _vile_  creature. You have - no - idea - what you are talking about.

Verdandi says nothing, but breaks eye contact with Loki and looks over his shoulder. He turns to follow her gaze.

While Loki was speaking, the scene changed. He and Verdandi are now in the Queen's Garden at Valhalla. Golden apples hang heavy from green, leafy trees. The sounds of bird song can be heard all around. And the orchard is bathed in a rosy afternoon light.

In the center of it all, Young Baldr is seated under a tree, reading. Behind him, out of focus, is a dark figure at the edge of the orchard.

RACK FOCUS to the figure - it is Young Loki. He makes a small gesture with one hand, and his features begin to shift and reassemble themselves. His lank black hair turns a soft white-blonde. His face becomes rounder, his features become finer, and his ragged clothes stitch themselves into fine white silks. After a moment he has completely assumed the form of YOUNG SKADI.

She takes a step forward, and leaves crackle under her feet.

Young Baldr turns quickly, and his hand goes immediately to the long knife at his belt. When he sees Young Skadi, however, his expression melts. He runs to her, and embraces her.

YOUNG BALDR  
I cannot believe it. You came back.

Baldr buries his face in her hair and inhales deeply. His eyes are full of tears.

YOUNG BALDR  
( _continuing, with feeling_ )  
My love, my love, my love. I did not think you would ever return. It has been so long. So many hundreds of years. I had lost all hope.

CUT TO Young Skadi's face. Her voice is earnest, but her facial expression is blank and cold.

YOUNG SKAÐI  
You should never have doubted me, my prince -

She reaches down and quickly draws Young Baldr's knife from its scabbard. With effort, she drives it into his back, between his ribs. She draws it out, and plunges it into him again - and again - and again. CUT TO her face again - her expression now sinister. When she speaks again, she speaks with Young Loki's voice:

YOUNG SKAÐI  
( _continuing, hissing_ )  
I was  _always_  going to come back for you.

Young Baldr staggers back from her. He clutches at his back, then reaches out to her: his hands and arms are covered in sticky, red-black blood. He falls to the ground.

SHOT FROM ABOVE of Baldr's body in a growing pool of blood. The shot continues, pulling higher and higher as people fill the orchard, screaming and crying. Just as the Einherjar lunge at her to arrest her, Young Skadi SUDDENLY DISAPPEARS in a brilliant white light. The shot pulls higher and higher until the people around Baldr's body are little more than dots - then it FADES TO WHITE.


	13. Scene 15

**15\. INT. JOTUNHEIM WORKSHOP - MORNING**

A CLOSE SHOT follows the feet of an unknown figure walking down a long, dark hallway, toward a dimly lit doorway at one end. PAN UP to reveal that the figure is SKADI.

The doorway leads to a dingy, dark cell. Within the cell, Heimdall is shackled to one wall, his head hanging down. Skadi raps against the cell wall with one of her hooked  
blades; then she sheathes the blade as she draws closer to Heimdall:

SKAÐI  
Gjallarholder. Are you ready to talk?

Heimdall is in terrible shape, and his great, gold armor is in shattered pieces at his feet. He lifts his head slowly and narrows his gaze:

HEIMDALL  
Go to Hel, Skadi.

SKAÐI  
I might. But before I do, I will find your jötunn prince.

She crouches in front of Heimdall, bringing her face level with his:

SKAÐI  
( _continuing_ )  
Where is he?

Heimdall takes a deep, shuddering breath before he speaks:

HEIMDALL  
Alfheim.

Skadi's eyebrows shoot up.

SKAÐI  
( _eagerly_ )  
Where?

Heimdall coughs once - then twice.

HEIMDALL  
Vanaheim.

Heimdall's coughs quicken.

HEIMDALL  
( _continuing_ )  
Muspelheim.

His coughs become a wheezing, rasping LAUGH. Skadi's expression hardens.

HEIMDALL  
( _continuing_ )  
Jotunheim.  
( _beat_ )  
Niflheim.  
( _beat_ )  
Svartalf-

In an instant, Skadi's arm shoots out and she BACKHANDS Heimdall. The sound of her hand against his face is like a SHOT in the small cell. Heimdall continues laughing until he is out of breath.

SKAÐI  
Tell me.

HEIMDALL  
( _shaking his head_ )  
I don't know.

Without warning, she reaches out and grabs both sides of Heimdall's head. Blue-white light arcs around her hands; after an instant, it subsides. Skadi pulls her hands back, and Heimdall's head drops down to his chest. She wipes a fresh trail of blood from beneath her nose.

HEIMDALL  
There is no memory to steal, witch. I do not know where he is.  
( _beat_ )  
Though if you want to keep trying until you kill yourself - by all means.

He gives her a grim, bloodied smile.

HEIMDALL  
( _continuing,slowly_ )  
That's costly magic. I cannot help but be flattered.

Skadi looks down at the blood on her right hand, and wipes it away with her left. She gives Heimdall a look of pure hate.

SKAÐI  
How can you protect him? You, who knew what he did. Your testimony buried me.

HEIMDALL  
He hid himself from me. I saw only you -

SKAÐI  
( _interrupting_ )  
Lies.

Heimdall lifts his head again - slower this time than before.

HEIMDALL  
I have already told you what I know. What do you want?

Skadi leans back a little on her heels and takes a deep breath.

SKAÐI  
Who is the woman?

HEIMDALL  
( _wearily_ )  
What woman?

SKAÐI  
The Midgard woman. The human.

Heimdall's eyes widen almost imperceptibly.

SKAÐI  
Ah, you do know the one.  
( _beat_ )  
Who is she to him? And where can I find her?

He stares back at her in defiant silence. Enraged, Skadi again digs her fingers into Heimdall's temples, and blue-white light dances around her fingertips. Heimdall bellows in agony.

After a moment, Skadi peels her fingers off of Heimdall and stumbles backward. Heimdall collapses, unconscious.

Skadi lapses into a coughing fit, and covers her mouth with her hands; when she draws her hands away they are covered in blood.

Apparently having heard her coughs, Bredi arrives at the cell. He rushes in, and takes Skadi by both shoulders:

BREDI  
 _Vinterkriger_ , you do too much. Leave him.

Skadi slowly comes to her feet, her gaze still fixed on Heimdall. She wipes her bloodied hands on her thighs.

SKAÐI  
It was well worth it.

She turns to Bredi.

SKAÐI  
( _continues_ )  
I need you to go to Vanaheim - and fetch something for me.


	14. Scene 16

**16\. EXT. ASGARD WILDERNESS - SUNRISE**

CLOSE ON a hand, small and fine-fingered, caked in sand and resting on a rock. The hand twitches once - then again. Slowly, hesitantly, the hand grips the rock; PULL OUT to show that the hand belongs to Jane.

Jane - water-logged, bruised, but alive - drags herself up off the sand and takes stock of her surroundings. She has been carried several miles downstream along the ravine-river, and washed up on one of its banks. The ravine is wider here than it was where she fell - perhaps a mile across, with dense woods on either side of the river.

JANE  
( _under her breath_ )  
Well, shit.

PAN UP to show the horizon and the ruddy Asgard sunrise in the north. Squinting against the morning light, Jane sees something else of interest to the north - a steady plume of black smoke, far in the distance. She inhales deeply:

JANE  
( _determined_ )  
Alright.

Jane starts traveling toward the smoke. EXTENDED MONTAGE of Jane working her way through the woods over several days. Early on, she makes a spear from one of her fighting knives and a long branch, and uses it to spear fish to eat. She filters drinking water from the river using bark and rocks. She makes camp at night under brush shelters, then erases any sign of the camp come morning. Jane navigates the wilds like a veteran.

Early on the fourth day, Jane wakes suddenly to hear a low RUMBLE in the distance. Hurriedly, she collapses her brush-made shelter and covers the signs of her fire. The rumbling is much louder now; without hesitation, Jane pulls herself up into a nearby tree. Nimbly, she climbs up from one branch to the next, until she is out of sight, high at the treetop.

She looks down. The rumbling is DEAFENING now, and an instant later it is followed by its cause: a large pack of great, fearsome, white-furred creatures, moving at full speed through the woods, headed south. Each one is the size of a small bear, with two great tusks jutting out from its jaw.

From her vantage point in the tree, Jane watches them pass. Moving as a unit, they cut a line through the trees, even flattening foliage as they pass. It would be a spectacular sight, if it weren't so terrifying.

After they have passed, Jane carefully descends from the tree. She is gathering her few belongings when she hears a loud CRACK. She looks up -

\- and one of the creatures is there, a few meters away, its back arched, its teeth bared.

Very slowly, Jane uses her foot to tip the spear at her feet up into her grasp. She flips the spear over so she's holding it with both hands, and raises it up above her head. She stamps her feet and steps forward, shouting loudly:

JANE  
Hey! Hey! Get out of here!

She stamps her feet.

JANE  
( _continuing_ )  
Go on, go! Go!

The creature remains perfectly still, silent, unblinking.

JANE  
( _under her breath_ )  
Okay -

Jane lowers her arms and flips the spear over in one hand, blade-forward. She takes one step back toward the tree - and the creature LEAPS at her. Jane throws herself sideways, elbow-down into the dirt. As the creature passes she turns and RAMS the butt of her spear into its side. It snarls and turns, lunging at her again. This time she doesn't have a chance to move - she holds the spear up to block the creature. It works, but the spear SNAPS in two in her hands. The creature circles as she scrambles to her feet and throws the bottom half of the spear to the ground.

The creature leaps at Jane again, wrapping its front legs around her, pinning her arms to her sides. It rakes her back with its claws and she CRIES OUT in pain. She quickly reaches around the creature's back from underneath its front legs. She grabs its shoulder, bringing it close, then KNEES IT REPEATEDLY in the abdomen until it pulls away.

It then rushes in again, and swipes at Jane's face with its right-front paw, claws out. She blocks its paw with her left arm, and then brings the spear up with her right. She drives the spear into the creature's right-front armpit, and then pulls it out. The creature staggers back, blood dripping from the wound.

The creature takes a pace back and circles Jane slowly. Jane takes side-steps so as to keep the creature in her view; as she moves, the extent of the wounds on her back is visible. Black, clotted blood mats her shirt to her shoulder - it looks terrible.

After a moment the creature SLOWLY approaches Jane. Jane takes one step back, then another - but she STUMBLES on a branch behind her and falls backward. The creature seizes the opportunity and leaps at Jane.

As the creature leaps, Jane uses her free arm to slide herself toward the creature on the ground; then she lifts the spear with her right arm and PLUNGES it into the creature's chest. As the creature leaps at and over her, Jane tears a wide, ragged gash in its stomach with her knife. The creature tumbles to the ground behind her, its guts spilling out of its belly.

As it collapses, the creature gives a harrowing HOWL of pain. Jane races to her feet, and as she does, she hears a familiar RUMBLING, growing louder.

Having heard the howl, the WHOLE PACK is returning.

With not a second to lose, Jane takes off at a dead RUN toward the black plume of smoke, which by now is about a half-mile away. QUICK CUTS of Jane running through the woods, and the pack of white creatures pursuing her, gaining on her.

As she runs, the woods give way to a wide clearing, and the source of the smoke - a stone cabin - comes into view. Jane hurls herself toward the cabin's front door. By now the creatures are at her heels. She pulls the door open, and before flinging herself inside, she looks briefly back.

Behind her, the pack of creatures are fanned out, dozens of them, racing toward the cabin. But in their midst, a tall figure is fighting them, hurling creatures sideways with bright, sharp arcs of green light. For an INSTANT, time seems to slow, and the figure turns -

\- it is LOKI.

JANE  
( _stunned_ )  
What the-

Before she can finish, someone from within the cabin reaches out and SEIZES Jane, pulling her inside; the door SLAMS shut, and three of the creatures RAM into the door, howling and clamoring and clawing.


	15. Scene 17

**17\. EXT. ASGARD WILDERNESS - NIGHT**

CUT TO the inside of the cabin - larger than it had seemed from the outside. It comprises only one room, but that room is well-furnished and even cozy. A fire is burning in a fireplace at one corner.

Jane is still breathless, leaning against the front door. She is covered in blood and still clutches the knife in one hand. Across from her is a tall, lean woman, probably in her forties, with ink-black hair and gray eyes. The woman watches Jane - calm and unblinking.

JANE  
( _still catching her breath_ )  
Th - thank you.

WOMAN  
Please.

She gestures to a chair. Jane sits, and puts the knife down in her lap. The woman takes a pot from over the fire and pours something into two cups, and offers one to Jane.

WOMAN  
It is truly the least I could do.

The woman sits as well.

WOMAN  
( _continuing_ )  
I saw you bring down the  _garm_. Alone. Impressive work.

Jane is a little wary.

JANE  
Who are you?

WOMAN  
My name is Skuld. And this -  
( _gesturing around_ )  
\- is my home. And you are -

JANE  
Jane. Jane Foster.

SKULD  
( _slowly, thoughtfully_ )  
Jane Foster.

She takes a drink.

SKULD  
( _continuing_ )  
You are of Midgard. A human.  
( _beat_ )  
You are a long way from home,  _lille_. Why are you here?

Jane seems a little nervous, or irritated, or both.

JANE  
I became separated from my people.

SKULD  
( _bemused_ )  
You were traveling with the Aesir? It is not often they take a Midgardian into their ranks. Though it does happen.

Skuld leans forward toward Jane.

SKULD  
( _continuing, warmly_ )  
You needn't be afraid, you know. I have no province over you. No harm will come to you in this house.

Jane looks a little puzzled, but says nothing.

SKULD  
( _leaning back_ )  
How did you come to travel with them?

JANE  
I was trapped here, after the Bifrost was broken. And then I was separated from the Aesir, crossing this ravine.

SKULD  
Then you -

Skuld looks surprised; she puts down her cup and presses her hands together.

SKULD  
( _continuing_ )  
You were the one with the - the gate. The device.

She excitedly taps her left forearm with her right hand, and continues:

SKULD  
You were the one who was there. When Surtur felled Thor and Loki - that was you.

Jane nods. Skuld laughs and slaps her knee.

SKULD  
Well, I  _will_  be damned. You!  _Everyone_  is looking for you.

JANE  
You mean Sif -

SKULD  
The Aesir, yes. But Skadi too.

Skuld gets up and pulls a sack from a hook on the wall; she begins filling it with supplies from around the cabin.

JANE  
The one who killed Baldr? She's alive?

SKULD  
( _still packing_ )  
Asgard's most terrifying prisoner, Baldr's bride, Loki's nemesis: Skadi. Very much alive - she was free the moment the All-Father died.

Skuld stops in her tracks for a moment, and gives Jane a thoughtful look.

SKULD  
I think she means to use you to avenge herself against Loki.

JANE  
( _shaking her head_ )  
I don't understand. Loki's dead. So is Thor. They died back at -

SKULD  
( _laughs, interrupting_ )  
Loki is most certainly not dead. And thanks to his efforts, neither is Thor. Not yet, anyway.

JANE  
( _suspicious_ )  
How is that even possible?

Skuld shrugs amiably.

SKULD  
Luck. Destiny. My idiot sister. Some combination thereof. It's all rather complicated.

JANE  
Your sister.

SKULD  
Two sisters, actually. The three of us do a very...particular kind of work. Or I did, before I came out here.

Skuld chuckles.

SKULD  
( _continuing_ )  
And I thought I was going to avoid excitement for a while. That's fate for you.

She stuffs some food into the bag.

SKULD  
( _continuing_ )  
But no - Loki is very much alive, I promise you that.

Jane is shocked.

JANE  
Then that  _was_  him! I saw him - just outside - just before. He was right there -

She trails off, looking at the door. Skuld looks at her curiously:

SKULD  
I do not know what you saw,  _lille_ , but it was not Loki.

Skuld finishing stuffing the bag.

SKULD  
( _continuing_ )  
Well? Are you ready to go?

Jane laughs, for the first time in quite a while.

JANE  
Go? Go where?

SKULD  
You want to go home, don't you?

JANE  
Of course.

SKULD  
( _speaking rapidly_ )  
 _Veldig bra_. To get you home you need to rebuild the Bifrost. To rebuild the Bifrost you need to save the Aesir. To save the Aesir - you need to rescue their general.

She shoves the bag into Jane's hands.

SKULD  
I can get you where you need to go, but the rest is in your hands. I can only interfere so much without -

She trails off.

SKULD  
( _warmly_ )  
That doesn't matter. You'll be fine. You have a philosopher's mind - but a warrior's heart.

JANE  
This is insane.

Skuld grins at Jane.

SKULD  
This is Asgard.


	16. Scene 18

**18\. EXT. VANAHEIM PLAINS - NIGHT**

CUT TO Sif, seated in her tent, poring over maps and papers at a makeshift table built from trunks and boxes. Torches on either side of her cast strange, flickering shadows across the tent. Sif looks drawn, tired, and hungry.

The tent flap opens; RACK FOCUS behind her to HOGUN. He folds his arms:

HOGUN  
You really ought to sleep.

Sif shakes her head.

SIF  
I cannot. There is too much to consider. Too much that needs to be resolved.

HOGUN  
We have been on the run for weeks now. Reading those maps again won't change anything.

Still facing away from Hogun, Sif presses her fingertips to her temples.

SIF  
Crossing the ravine bought us time. But now the Muspel hordes seem like the least of our troubles.

She turns to face Hogun.

SIF  
( _continuing_ )  
Exhaustion. Hunger. No fresh water. No supplies. And now Eir tells me of plague.

Sif shakes her head in dismay:

SIF  
( _continuing_ )  
This is not the battle I expected. I think I would have done better against those wolves.

Hogun crosses the room in a single stride, and takes the empty seat next to Sif. He leans toward her:

HOGUN  
You have brought us this far. You will bring us further.

Sif turns back to the table, and moves her hand across a map of Asgard and Vanaheim as she speaks.

SIF  
( _haunted_ )  
Not all of us.

HOGUN  
You cannot blame yourself for losing Jane. That lies on my shoulders.

SIF  
( _earnestly_ )  
It doesn't. You went back for her when no-one would.  
( _beat_ )  
And in any case, we didn't only lose Jane - we have lost more than a third of our people. I fear there will be little left of the Aesir by the time we reach your father.

HOGUN  
But we  _will_  reach him. And in time, rebuild. You must have faith.

There is a pause; Hogun leans back and gives Sif an inquiring look.

HOGUN  
( _continuing_ )  
But that's not all that's troubling you.

Sif pushes the parchment away and turns to face Hogun.

SIF  
I fear that Fandral may be right. That we will reach the Äldrträd and that we will be turned away.  
( _beat_ )  
I know Alrik is unforgiving. If he decides to even the scales for the many wrongs the All-Father did him...

She shakes her head in dismay.

SIF  
( _continuing_ )  
We won't last four hours against the Vanir army.

There is a long pause; then, Hogun seizes both of Sif's hands.

HOGUN  
( _determined_ )  
Then I'll ride today for the Äldrträd. I will plead our case to my father in advance. He will not deny me.

She looks Hogun in the eye for the first time, surprised.

SIF  
I cannot ask you to do that. Your father -

HOGUN  
( _cutting her off_ )  
\- is unforgiving, yes. And brutal, and cruel. And it's true, I haven't seen him in a hundred years.  
( _beat_ )  
But I am still his son. I must try.

She shakes her head, her eyes welling up with tears.

SIF  
No. It's too dangerous. You have already taken too many risks for our people.

HOGUN  
( _quietly_ )  
Sif. All these many years by your side. All these battles, all these adventures. All the torturous days in Valhalla. All the sleepless nights on the hunt. All of them by your side. By now you must know: I have done nothing for our people -

He caresses her cheek with one hand, and her eyes close at his touch.

HOGUN  
\- but everything for you.

They KISS.


	17. Scene 19

**19\. EXT. GATES OF HEL - DAY**

CLOSE ON Loki's unconscious face as he is SLAPPED, hard. With effort, he wakes up:

LOKI  
( _groggily_ )  
What th- what happened?

Verdandi's face, quite blurry, slowly comes into focus.

VERDANDI  
( _relieved_ )  
Finally.

Loki blinks slowly and looks around. He is slumped on the ground against a high wall made of some kind of glossy, seamless black stone. ZOOM OUT to show that the wall belongs to a MASSIVE fortress, high on a bleak hillside under an iron-gray sky.

VERDANDI  
( _continuing_ )  
You collapsed after that last vision. I dragged you the rest of the way here. It isn't...wise to stay in the tunnels too long. Gets us something off-schedule.

She shakes her head.

VERDANDI  
( _continuing_ )  
But I have had the damnedest time trying to wake you up again.

Loki's eyes widen as he suddenly REMEMBERS something. He seizes Verdandi by her sleeve, his eyes frantic.

LOKI  
Where did I go?

VERDANDI  
( _puzzled_ )  
What do you mean, 'where did you go'? You went here.

LOKI  
( _emphatic_ )  
No. I went to Vanaheim, to the Ormsgill ravine. I fought a pack of garm. I saw her.

He clutches Verdandi's sleeve more tightly. There is a loud CRACKING sound, and an arc of lightning tears across the sky, momentarily bleaching the scenery with light.

LOKI  
( _continuing_ )  
Damn it all, I  _saw_  her. How did I get there?

Verdandi narrows her gaze.

VERDANDI  
Ormsgill? The canyon separating Asgard and Vanaehim? Are you  _quite_  sure?

LOKI  
I know it well. Jane Foster was there, outrunning a hundred garm, and I bought her time. She went into some kind of cabin.

VERDANDI  
( _surprised_ )  
Skuld!

LOKI  
Who?

VERDANDI  
My sister - the third Norn.  
( _beat_ )  
Damn! This  _is_ unusual. But good luck for your friend - if your vision was actually real, of course.

LOKI  
( _emphatically_ )  
It was real. It must mean something.

He comes to his feet; his eyes are intense, unfocused.

LOKI  
( _continuing_ )  
I have to find her. You must hel-

Loki is interrupting by a loud boom, then a deafening CREAKING sound. A seam of green light divides the seamless black wall of the fortress, revealing a great door; the door slowly swings open. As it opens, eight massive soldiers, dressed in elaborate green and black armor and carrying tall spears, file out.

VERDANDI  
( _under her breath_ )  
Dødherjar.

She looks at Loki, eyebrows furrowed.

VERDANDI  
( _continuing_ )  
Warriors of the dead. Hela's palace guard. Nasty little sh-

DØDHERJAR CAPTAIN  
( _interrupting_ )  
Loki Laufeyson, Prince of Jotunheim: Hela will receive you.

LOKI  
( _to Verdandi_ )  
I cannot go yet. I must find Jane.

VERDANDI  
( _quietly, to Loki_ )  
It's more of a command than an invitation.

There is a long pause; finally, Loki nods. He begins moving toward the open gate, between the guards, but the captain seizes Verdandi by the arm and prevents her from moving:

DØDHERJAR CAPTAIN  
Not you. You will remain here, fate-spinner. You know what must be done.

Loki looks back at Verdandi. She shakes her head.

VERDANDI  
You go on ahead. I'll be fine.

At length, Loki nods again, and walks back toward the gate, accompanied by seven of the eight Dødherjar. Only the captain remains. Loki passes through the gateway, but before disappearing into the darkness beyond, he looks back. Behind him, the doors are closing, but through the narrow gap between them, he sees the Dødherjar captain turn to Verdandi, spear outstretched -

\- and run her through.

For an instant, his scream and hers are in unison; then the doors behind him SLAM SHUT.


	18. Scene 20

**20\. INT. HALLS OF HEL - EVENING**

CUT TO Loki, being dragged down a long, dark corridor toward a room lit by faint green light. He is shackled, and is now wearing a sort of half-mask that prevents him from speaking. He thrashes against his restraints as the guards tow him down the hall.

At the end of the hallway, Loki is brought into a vast room, a spectacular dome as tall as the fortress itself. The ceiling is as dark as obsidian, with green lights like stars dotting its surface. The room is mostly empty, except for an elaborate throne at its center, made from winding black fibers that fan out, connecting the throne to the floor, the ceiling and the walls. Behind the throne, a round, winding column some ten feet in diameter - like a large tree root - links the ceiling to the floor.

Seated on the throne is a tall woman with pale skin and black hair, wearing black and green robes and an elaborate black mask that covers the left half of her face. As Loki enters, she stands, and crosses the room to him. She makes a gesture to the Dødherjar, and they leave.

Once the guards are gone, Hela reaches forward and plucks the mask from Loki's face.

HELA  
There. That's better.

LOKI  
( _angrily_ )  
Your guards killed the fate-spinner. Why?

Hela gestures with the mask, and as she does it melts into white ash and blows away.

HELA  
( _dismissively_ )  
Oh, she will be fine.  
( _beat_ )  
Or not. I cannot say that I care. We have so much more interesting matters to discuss.

Hela smiles at Loki, but there is no warmth behind it.

HELA  
Tell me, do you know what I am?

He stares back at her in silence.

HELA  
( _amiably_ )  
Oh come  _on_ , play along. Do you know what I am?

LOKI  
You are Hela. Queen of the dead.

HELA  
( _chuckling_ )  
Right you are. But that isn't what I meant. I meant - do you know what I am - to you? Do you recognize me - this face?

She gestures at the part of her face that isn't obscured by her own mask.

LOKI  
( _puzzled_ )  
No.

For a moment, Hela looks almost sad.

HELA  
You never do. You never do.

She smiles again, the same mirthless smile.

HELA  
( _continuing_ )  
I am your daughter, Loki.

Now it is Loki who laughs:

LOKI  
I am sure I would remember that.

HELA  
I am sure you wouldn't. You couldn't. I was your child, in a hundred different lives of yours, by a hundred different mothers. But not this one.  
( _beat_ )  
Isn't that...interesting?

LOKI  
"A hundred different lives"?

She nods, and her eyes gleam with a kind of fervor.

HELA  
Do you know why the All-Father gave me this realm, Loki? Why he locked me up here?  
( _beat_ )  
Because I am the only constant. I alone have seen all the miserable possibilities. I alone am doomed to watch them over - and over - and over.

Hela paces around Loki as she continues.

HELA  
( _continuing_ )  
Everything you have experienced until now - taking the throne, masquerading as Odin, bringing on Surtur's attack - all of that has happened before, in a thousand different iterations of the same terrible inevitability. Your brother has died saving you, hundreds of times. The fate-spinner has been killed, as she just was -

She gestures out toward the hallway and the gate.

HELA  
( _continuing_ )  
\- hundreds of times. And all of it, I promise you, will happen again.

She leans toward Loki:

HELA  
( _in a savage whisper_ )  
I  _hate_ what I have seen. With every cycle I hate it more.

LOKI  
If all that was true - if - then you already know why I am here. You already know what happens next.

Hela brings her hand up in a tense fist, then releases it to caress the side of Loki's face.

HELA  
That - that's the thing of it. In every version, I can count on you to behave in a certain way. I can depend upon you, Loki, to put yourself first. To imprison your own father. To bring on the battle for Valhalla.

Her caress becomes an iron grip; she grabs Loki by his jaw.

HELA  
( _continuing_ )  
In every single reality, I can rely upon you to die, at Surtur's hand, in Ragnarök. In every reality I can remember. And I assure you, I have a - very - long memory.

She releases his jaw and continues pacing.

HELA  
But not _this_ time. This time, something is different. This time, for the first time, you survive Ragnarök. How can that be, Loki? What changed?

Loki says nothing; but it is clear that Hela was not planning on waiting for a response.

HELA  
( _continuing_ )  
This time, you live. And in living, you create...new possibilities. Including the possibility of your own return to Asgard.

Hela stops pacing.

HELA  
( _continuing_ )  
Which is why you are here.

LOKI  
Not only that.

HELA  
( _sotto voce_ )  
Fascinating. You  _have_  changed.  
( _louder_ )  
Then you also, I suppose, want this:

Hela makes a small gesture, and a bright green seam of light divides one of the walls of the chamber. A doorway opens, and from the darkness beyond, a shackled figure is SHOVED into the room.

It is THOR.

THOR  
Brother! You're alive!

He stumbles toward Loki. For the first time in quite a while, Loki smiles.

LOKI  
After a fashion.  
(beat)  
I never in a thousand years thought I would say this - but I am very glad to see you, brother.

He turns back to Hela.

LOKI  
Will you send us home?

HELA  
Of course. But for everything there is a price.

LOKI  
Name it.

HELA  
I recently came into possession of something - a little treasure. I believe you know how it works. I want you to show me.

Hela reaches into the folds of her robes, and produces a small, bright stone. It glows orange and pulses with the colorful light of a sunrise.

The blood drains from Loki's face.

THOR  
Brother, is that -

Loki shoots him a look, and nods. He looks back at Hela:

LOKI  
Where did you get that?

HELA  
( _shrugging_ )  
It fell into my lap.  
( _beat_ )  
Lovely, isn't it?

LOKI  
Lovely, but worthless. I bled all the magic from it when I used it.

Hela closes her hand around the stone and gives Loki a hateful, ice-cold look.

HELA  
Don't - lie - to me. You can deceive your kind - but not your kin.

Her expression shifts rapidly to a manic smile.

HELA  
( _continuing_ )  
Show me how to use it, and I will send you and your brother back to the living -  
( _with emphasis_ )  
\- back  _home_.

Loki stares at the stone with hungry eyes.

THOR  
Loki, don't do it.

Loki breaks his stare and looks at Thor. He gives a slight, firm nod. He turns back to Hela.

LOKI  
There is nothing to show you. If you cannot use it, you cannot use it. Teaching you is beyond me.

Hela shrugs.

HELA  
Then I will ask someone else for help. Someone with experience in such things. What was his name -

She leans toward Loki, hissing:

HELA  
( _continuous_ )  
Thanos, was it?

She leans back.

HELA  
( _continuing_ )  
 _My_  interest in the stone is benign. To revisit past realities, to relive old memories. But his interest - somehow I think his interest will be somewhat more sinister.

THOR  
( _to Loki_ )  
Loki, it's not worth it. Better that we die than - this.

Loki is again staring at the stone, haunted.

LOKI  
( _to Hela_ )  
If I show you - you will send us both back?

HELA  
Back to the land of the living, to your homes - and both of you very much alive. I am bound to that promise by magic older than the Nine Realms.  
( _leaning toward Loki, whispering_ )  
It's your only chance to make things right. And to see  _her_.

Wordlessly, Loki reaches out with both hands and takes hold of the sides of Hela's face.

THOR  
( _shouting_ )  
Loki, no!

Loki presses his fingertips into Hela's temples and closes his eyes. Flickers of green light race around her head, and for an instant, her eyes turn a milky white. There is a low rumbling sound for a moment - then it stops. She opens her eyes and smiles.

HELA  
( _quietly_ )  
Loki Laufeyson, keeper of promises. And so I shall keep mine - and send you both  _home._

She raises both hands. With a loud, thunderous CRACK, both Thor and Loki DISAPPEAR.


	19. Scene 21

**21\. INT. JOTUNHEIM TUNNEL - DAY**

The shot rises from darkness to show a subterranean cavern, lit from above by dim, blueish moonlight that filters down through a small grate. Water drips from the ceiling into a shallow pool on the ground.

After a moment, individual drops of water begin to rise from the pool and coalesce into human form - SKULD and JANE.

As Jane becomes solid again, she looks down at her hands, then up at Skuld in surprise:

JANE  
( _breathless, eager_ )  
Fascinating! How does it work? Is this like Hanson's diamond experiment? Or is it more like the Bifrost?  
( _beat_ )  
How much control do you yourself have over the individual atoms?

SKULD  
( _hesitant_ )  
I - ah -

JANE  
Never mind.  
( _looking around_ )  
Where are we?

Skuld responds in a whisper.

SKULD  
We are in Jotunheim - not far from Skadi's workshop, once her prison.

Skuld gestures down a dark tunnel leading away from the cavern.

SKULD  
I believe it is where she is keeping Heimdall.

Jane, too, whispers:

JANE  
( _incredulously_ )  
You 'believe'?

SKULD  
I am... nearly certain.

JANE  
Oh, great.  
( _beat_ )  
How am I supposed to get him out?

SKULD  
I do not know. You will, I suspect, have to improvise.

Jane opens her mouth to say something, but Skuld cuts in:

SKULD  
( _interrupting_ )  
But - but - I have something I can give you.

From within her robe, Skuld produces a long, sharp object. It is made from an ink-black metal, but as Skuld turns it in the dim light, it seems to glow blue and purple and red and gold - all the colors of the setting sun.

JANE  
What is it?

SKULD  
It's the last fragment of a weapon that Surtur carried, before his death. The rest of the weapon was, regrettably, destroyed.  
( _beat_ )  
I can sense it has great power, but I cannot unlock it. Perhaps it will be useful to you.

Jane takes the shard from Skuld. Suddenly, in the distance, there is a single, thunderous CRACKING sound. Jane turns to Skuld, her eyebrows raised. Skuld shakes her head and shrugs.

JANE  
( _whispering_ )  
You're sure you can't come with me?

SKULD  
( _whispering_ )  
I am sorry, but I cannot. I am quite bound in what I can do, and where I can go. And I have already tested those bounds a great deal today.

Skuld smiles.

SKULD  
Someday we will meet again, and I will explain.

JANE  
( _warmly_ )  
I hope so.

Skuld embraces Jane, and then steps back from her.

SKULD  
Good luck, Jane Foster.

Skuld vanishes. After a moment Jane turns, and starts down the tunnel.


	20. Scene 22

**22\. INT. JOTUNHEIM WORKSHOP - DAY**

CUT TO Jane, emerging from the dark tunnel into a shadowy alcove off a long, dimly-lit corridor. There are prison cells on either side, and a guard is pacing nearby, with his back to Jane. In the distance the corridor splits in a "T", with further hallways in each direction.

Jane slowly removes her shoes and silently steps forward, the metal shard still clutched tightly in her right hand.

Just ahead, the guard stops, and turns to one of the cells. Jane FREEZES.

GUARD  
( _to someone in the cell_ )  
No use whimpering, witch. He can't hear you.

WOMAN  
( _O.S_.)  
Please - just tell him I'm here.

The guard laughs.

WOMAN  
( _O.S_.)  
I gave you what you asked for. A deal's a deal.

GUARD  
Shut up, rat. Another word out of you and I'll be eating your rations -

He leans toward the cell.

GUARD  
( _continuing_ )  
\- for yet  _another_  week.

CLOSE ON Jane's bare feet as she approaches the guard from behind. We see the cell's resident for the first time - a young woman with pale blonde hair dressed in a tattered green jumpsuit. The woman is sitting on her heels, her hands resting on her knees. Her fingers are swollen and red, clearly having been broken in multiple places.

The woman's green eyes flicker upward for just a second - she sees Jane. Jane holds a single finger up to her lips, and the woman immediately looks away.

The guard leers at the woman in the cell.

GUARD  
( _continuing_ )  
Unless you have something better to offer me.

Jane takes a deep breath, and raises the blade up. Her hands are trembling.

WOMAN  
( _smiling coldly_ )  
Oh, I do.

From behind, Jane seizes the guard's chin with her left hand, and tilts his head back. With her right hand, she brings the metal shard around and, in one fluid motion, SLITS his throat.

The guard drops to the ground with a dull thud; dark blood begins pooling around his head.

JANE  
( _in a whisper_ )  
Jesus.

The woman in the cell clambers to her feet.

WOMAN  
Thank you. Thank you so much.

JANE  
( _still rattled_ )  
S-sure.

WOMAN  
Who are you?

JANE  
( _still staring at the body_ )  
Jane.  
( _beat_ )  
Who are you?

AMORA  
I am Amora.  
( _earnestly_ )  
You did the right thing, Jane. That man was a monster.

Jane looks at - or through - Amora, still troubled.

AMORA  
( _continuing_ )  
He deserved his death. Don't let it weigh on your conscience.

JANE  
 _(quietly_ )  
Yeah.

Jane shakes her head.

JANE  
( _continuing_ )  
Let's get you out of there.

Jane reaches out to the bars of the cell. Amora starts to protest, but before she can say anything, Jane's fingers brush against a now-visible force-field that connects the bars. There is a loud CRACKING sound as electrical energy surges up Jane's arm.

JANE  
( _wincing_ _in pain_ )  
Augh! What was that?

AMORA  
It's a magical barrier, and a powerful one. You won't be able to open it - not without help.

Jane rubs her hand and nods.

JANE  
Alright. I'll come back for you.  
( _beat_ )  
I promise.

Jane starts to turn, but before she does:

AMORA  
Jane - wait. Where are you going?

JANE  
I'm looking for a friend: his name is Heimdall.  
( _beat_ )  
Is he here?

Amora's jaw tightens, and her eyes flicker with emotion. She nods.

AMORA  
At the end of the hall, turn right. And go quickly - the guards will change shifts soon.

JANE  
Thank you.

Without another word, Jane hurries down the hall. Her bare feet leave bloodied footprints in her wake. She turns right at the "T", and finds a shorter corridor. There is only one cell, and only one prisoner: Heimdall, chained to the wall and unconscious.

JANE  
( _eagerly_ )  
Heimdall! Heimdall, wake up.

He stirs, but does not wake. Jane scoops a pebble up form the ground at her feet and throws it into his cell. It bounces off with a loud electrical CRACK - it's a force-field, just like the one around Amora's cell.

At the sound, Heimdall wakes up.

HEIMDALL  
( _groggily_ )  
Jane Foster?

JANE  
Hey! Are you alright? What happened to you?

HEIMDALL  
I have had distinctly better days.

He laughs, a wet, wheezing laugh.

HEIMDALL  
( _continuing_ )  
But I am  _very_  glad to see you now.

JANE  
Is Skaði here?

HEIMDALL  
She left, not a moment ago. She heard something up on the surface.

JANE  
Can't you see her?

Heimdall's eyes become unfocused for a moment; he appears to stare off into the distance.

HEIMDALL  
I cannot. My sight is much weaker when I am not in Asgard - and this field blocks much of what I can see.

There is a loud BOOM from outside. The entire building shakes; dust and silt sift down from the ceiling in a fine gray mist.

HEIMDALL  
She will return any second, I am sure of it.

JANE  
( _quickly_ )  
There must be some way to get you out of there.

Heimdall nods toward the blade in Jane's hand.

HEIMDALL  
( _continuing_ )  
Is that - Surtur's blade?

JANE  
How did you-

HEIMDALL  
Use it against the field.

Jane hesitates for a moment.

HEIMDALL  
( _continuing_ )  
Trust me.

Jane PLUNGES the metal shard into the space between her and Heimdall. There is a brilliant flash of white light, and a loud, keening sound, like a massive engine spinning down to a stop. Jane takes a deep breath, and steps forward toward Heimdall.

Nothing happens. The field is gone.

JANE  
Okay, later I have to hear everything you know about this thing.

Jane uses the blade to break Heimdall's chains. They crackle with blue-white light as they fall away from him.

HEIMDALL  
Agreed - later. For now, follow me.

JANE  
( _cutting in_ )  
Wait - there is another prisoner. I promised to help her.

HEIMDALL  
( _urgently_ )  
We must be quick, Jane Foster. We do not want to be here when Skaði returns.

CUT TO Jane and Heimdall hurrying toward Amora's cell. As Heimdall comes close enough to see Amora, he stops in his tracks.

Amora smiles ruefully at Heimdall:

AMORA  
( _quietly_ )  
Gjallarholder.

Heimdall's jaw tenses, and his face flickers with emotion.

HEIMDALL  
( _hoarsely_ )  
Amora. What are you-

His voice falters.

AMORA  
( _with feeling_ )  
There is so much I need to tell you-

JANE  
( _cutting in_ )  
Guys, we really,  _really_  do not have time for this.

She drives the metal shard into the space between her and Amora. The field breaks with a bright flash, just as Heimdall's had. Amora looks from Heimdall to Jane, her eyes bright with interest:

AMORA  
( _whispering_ )  
What  _is_  that?

JANE  
( _to Heimdall_ )  
You need to get to Vanaheim. Sif needs you. Your people are in danger.

HEIMDALL  
What sort of danger?

Jane shakes her head.

JANE  
I don't know, I'm sorry. I only know that they need you.  
( _beat_ )  
Can you get to Vanaheim from here?

Heimdall is momentarily lost in thought; Amora, however, cuts in.

AMORA  
I can.

Both Jane and Heimdall turn to look at Amora. Suddenly, there is another BOOM - closer and louder than the last. It is followed by a howl of pain: a man's voice. A familiar voice.

Jane looks at Heimdall, her eyes wide. He nods to her:

HEIMDALL  
( _quietly_ )  
Loki.

Her expression is stunned - then determined.

JANE  
I have to go.

HEIMDALL  
( _earnestly_ )  
That would be unwise, Jane Foster. She is extremely powerful.

He puts one hand on her shoulder.

HEIMDALL  
( _continuing_ )  
You can do nothing for him.

Jane takes a deep, shaking breath.

JANE  
He saved my life. Twice.  
( _beat_ )  
I have to try.

She glances from Heimdall to Amora.

JANE  
( _continuing_ )  
How will you get to Vanaheim?

AMORA  
In the same tunnels from which you came - there is a path. It leads to a gate, of sorts.  
( _beat_ )  
I can force the gate to remain open for you, but it will not stay that way for very long.

JANE  
I won't need much time. You two go ahead.

HEIMDALL  
( _warmly_ )  
Good luck, Jane Foster.

JANE  
You too. I'll see you soon.


	21. Scene 23

**23\. EXT. JOTUNHEIM WILDERNESS - DAY**

WIDE SHOT of the bleak, white, Jotunn wilderness. Howling gusts of wind tear across the expanse, whipping the snow into a frenzy. Over the roar of the wind, there is a high, keening sound - louder, and louder, until - BAM!

With a thunderous CRACK, Loki hits the ground, sending snow in every direction. After a moment, he comes to his feet - slowly and with effort.

LOKI  
( _muttering to himself, bitterly_ )  
"Home" indeed. I really ought to have been more specific.  
( _louder_ )  
Thor?

He trudges forward in the blinding snow.

LOKI  
Thor!

Loki raises one arm, and his fist crackles with green light. In an instant the snow around him becomes quiet, and the wind slows to a stop. Individual snowflakes move around him in a rhythmic, liquid, Brownian dance. It's quite beautiful.

A voice comes from behind him:

SKAÐI  
( _O.S_.)  
He is not here, trickster.

Loki turns to see Skaði, standing in the slow-moving snow. She is dressed in white, head to toe, and she holds one curved blade in each hand.

SKAÐI  
( _continuing_ )  
Hela sent him back to his home - his  _true_  home. Midgard.

CLOSE ON Loki's face. He is deeply shocked to see her, but only barely shows it.

LOKI  
( _carefully_ )  
I didn't think Hela had a sense of humor.

SKAÐI  
She doesn't.

LOKI  
Do you?

SKAÐI  
( _coolly_ )  
It can be hard to laugh, when your memory is as long as mine.

LOKI  
A lot has changed since then.  
( _beat_ )  
I have changed.

Skaði laughs bitterly.

SKAÐI  
( _incredulous_ )  
Do you think that matters to me? As far as I am concerned, time stopped the day you condemned me -  
( _gesturing around_ )  
\- to this.

LOKI  
If I knew you would be imprisoned -

SKAÐI  
( _cutting in_ )  
\- nothing would have changed. You would have done the same thing, the same way. Don't insult my intelligence, Loki. I knew even then just how little you thought of me.

LOKI  
It wasn't about you. It had nothing to do with you. I only needed a face.

SKAÐI  
The revelation of my irrelevance. Is that supposed to bring me peace?

LOKI  
( _gravely, earnestly_ )  
There is nothing I could ever do that would bring you peace.

SKAÐI  
I beg to differ.  
( _beat_ )  
You could die.

LOKI  
I don't want to fight you, Skaði.

SKAÐI  
 _Please_. You always loved violence. You were fickle and cruel: a miserable little sadist.

LOKI  
( _quietly_ )  
Baldr was cruel, too.

SKAÐI  
( _savagely_ )  
I loved him. And you took him from me.

LOKI  
What do you want from me?

SKAÐI  
I want you to suffer - as I have suffered. I want you to see it, when I carve my vengeance out of your flesh while your heart still beats. I want you to hear every one of your brother's screams when I break his bones and feed them back to him. And when I drown your little human in her own blood, I want you to know that she would have been spared - if not for you.  
( _beat_ )  
It's only a pity the All-Father isn't alive to see it.

CLOSE ON Loki's face as he reacts: stunned, angry, pained.

LOKI  
What?

SKAÐI  
( _dawning realization_ )  
You didn't know.

She steps toward Loki as she continues:

SKAÐI  
Oh yes, he's dead. He died slowly and painfully, after you broke his kingdom and his heart.  
( _quietly_ )  
His last moments were not easy, Loki. Worse, even, than your mother's. He died cursing your name.

CLOSE ON Loki's face - suddenly stricken. He looks down to see one of Skaði's blades, buried deep in one side of his abdomen.

Loki roars in pain and wrenches the blade out as he falls, stumbles backward. Skaði lunges at him again, but he rolls away to one side; she buries the blades in the snow. He clambers to his feet:

LOKI  
We don't have to do this, Ska-

Skaði flicks one hand, and the snow around her gathers and solidifies into a thousand tiny blades of ice. With another flick, the ice-shards are HURTLING toward Loki.

Still clutching his side with one arm, Loki throws the other arm up, and instantly an iridescent bubble of green light springs up around him. As the shards pass through the bubble, they dissolve.

LOKI  
Skaði, please.

SKAÐI  
Be silent, Loki.

Skaði swiftly takes a knee, and SLAMS both fists into the snow-covered ground. A series of consecutive explosions rock the ground in a line, from her straight to Loki. The last explosion sends Loki flying across the snow. CLOSE ON Loki as he touches one hand to his face; drawing his hand back, he sees his fingers coated in black jotunn blood.

Loki's face shifts to a cold, hateful scowl. He reaches down into the snow with one hand. In a FLASH of green light, the snow in his hand coalesces - solidifying into a double-ended ice blade.

He RACES forward at Skaði, dragging one end of the blade in the snow. Skaði raises her double knives in an "X" to block him, but he swings the blade up beneath her block, and rips a ragged gash across her ribs.

Skaði hesitates, and looks down at the black blood spreading across her stomach. Her eyes flash with rage, and she rushes at Loki. She hacks at him with her blades - high, low, high.

A blinding white gust of snow temporarily obscures Loki from Skaði. When it passes, Skaði sees an opportunity. She DRIVES one of her blades directly into Loki's HEART.

Loki staggers backward into the snow, clutching at his chest. He collapses.

Skaði stops over Loki's prone body, and reaches down to seize him by the throat. Blue-white light crackles between her fingers:

SKAÐI  
( _hissing_ )  
Don't die just yet. I want you to live long enough to see what we have in store for Asgard.

Her fingers touch his throat - and then pass right through. The ILLUSION of Loki crumbles into ash and blows away.

SKAÐI  
What th-

Skaði whips around just in time to see -

\- JANE!

Jane seizes Skaði's left arm, pulls it back and BREAKS it. As the bones in Skaði's arm splinter with a sickening CRUNCH, the blade in her hand falls. Jane draws the shard of Surtur's sword with her free hand and - without hesitation - BURIES it in Skaði's back, between her spine and her ribs.

JANE  
( _breathless_ )  
Bet you didn't expect  _that_.

Skaði thrashes against Jane's blade, blood gushing from her wound. Skaði reaches out with her free arm and GRABS Jane. She brings her bloodied face close to Jane and hisses:

SKAÐI  
Expect  _this_ , human.

BAM! There is an EXPLOSION, and everything goes WHITE. There is no sound, except for a shrill, high-pitched hum. As the bright white light fades, Jane is visible again. Her face is contorted in pain.

CLOSE ON Jane's hand, still clutching the shard of Surtur's sword. The sword begins to MELT, the metal shifting like liquid and dripping down Jane's hand, toward her wrist. Then, the metal begins to solidify - taking the shape of a simple metal band around Jane's wrist.

Jane wrests her arm free and stares at her wrist in wonder.

Skaði sees it too.

SKAÐI  
But tha-

From the snow behind her, the true Loki LEAPS out and seizes Skaði. He SLAMS Skaði to the ground and plants one foot on her collarbone. His fists, clenched at his sides, crackle with green fire.

LOKI  
You said you had a 'plan' for Asgard. Tell me what you meant and I will spare your life.

Skaði reaches up a little with her broken arm, and gestures weakly for Loki to come closer. When he does, she SPITS at him.

SKAÐI  
( _bitterly_ )  
Go back to Hel, Loki.

Loki digs his heel deeper into Skaði's collarbone, and she howls in pain.

LOKI  
Tell me, Skaði.

Skaði lifts her head a little, stares up at Loki in defiance, and laughs, blood gurgling up out of her mouth:

SKAÐI  
Do what you like - but the plan is already in motion. Soon there will be nothing left of the Aesir - or indeed, of any of the Nine Realms.

She laughs: a wheezing, wet laugh.

SKAÐI  
( _continuing_ )  
My vengeance is just the beginning. What Hela has in mind is so much greater.

LOKI  
Hela -

He stares at Skaði in horror. Jane puts a hand on his arm; he looks at her in surprise.

JANE  
( _to Loki_ )  
We have to get to Vanaheim.

Skaði lets her head drop to the ground. As the light goes out of her eyes and her blood spreads on the snow, she laughs:

SKAÐI  
Fools. You're already too late.


	22. Scenes 24-25

**24\. EXT. ÄLDRTRÄD - DAWN**

TRACKING SHOT of Hogun, from behind, as he walks through the tent city that is the Vanir capital. On all sides, large, colorful tents are tethered to towering birch trees - nothing at all like the marble and metal of Valhalla.

All around him, the Vanir go about their morning business - trading, traveling, talking. Ahead, in the distance, a single tree - some two hundred feet in diameter - rises above the sparse forest. At the base of the tree are two great doors leading inside. Behind the tree, the sunrise is all colors of red and gold.

As Hogun approaches the great tree, two Vanir guards in ceremonial green armor come to attention. They salute Hogun in the traditional Vanir way - two fingers to the right temple, chin inclined slightly downward.

VANIR GUARD 1   
_Anda av Äldrträd._

HOGUN  
( _returning the salute_ )  
 _Anda av Yggdrasil._

VANIR GUARD 2  
( _warmly_ )  
Hogun Alrikson - my prince. It has been too long.

HOGUN  
It has.  
( _beat_ )  
Is my father here? I have business with him.

VANIR GUARD 1  
( _to Vanir Guard 2, amiably_ )  
A hundred years gone and not a moment to spare. That's Hogun for you.

VANIR GUARD 2  
( _to Hogun_ )  
Ay, he is in. But -

The guard hesitates.

VANIR GUARD 2  
( _continuing, cautiously_ )  
\- I do not know that he will be altogether glad to see you.

Hogun nods, his jaw tense.

HOGUN  
Some things never change.

The first guard opens the great door for Hogun, and Hogun steps through.

HOGUN  
( _continuing_ )  
Wish me luck, gentlemen.

**25\. INT. ÄLDRTRÄD THRONE ROOM - DAWN**

CUT TO the Äldrträd throne room - a vast, vaulted dome with walls carved out of the great tree. Small, round windows near the roof allow rosy morning light to pour into the room. In the center of the room is a round wood table with six chairs around it. Only one person is seated there - a man, powerfully built, about sixty years of age. He is dressed in simple leather clothes - only a hammered steel ornament around his neck gives any sign of his rank. His gray hair is tied back in a low knot, and his narrow mouth and high cheekbones make clear his relationship to Hogun.

Hogun touches two fingers to his right temple and inclines his head downward slightly:

HOGUN   
_Anda av Äldrträd._

The older man rises slowly from his seat.

ALRIK  
( _contemptuously_ )  
Spare me.

Alrik walks toward Hogun.

ALRIK  
( _continuing_ )  
You have some nerve, coming here.

HOGUN  
( _slowly, apologetically_ )  
I know. I came to-

ALRIK  
( _interrupting_ )  
One hundred and forty three years.  
( _beat_ )  
Three months.  
( _beat_ )  
And six days.

He paces around Hogun, slowly.

ALRIK  
( _continuing)  
_ That is how long you have been gone. Living in Odin's golden palace. Pampered and puppeted by those - those people.

HOGUN  
Father, you sent me -

ALRIK  
( _spitefully_ )  
As my emissary! Not as their pet.

Hogun keeps his gaze down - steady, unblinking. Alrik stops pacing.

ALRIK  
My  _son_. First of my name. My pride.  
( _beat_ )  
Next in line for the crown of the Vanir. Commander of the Vanahær. A warrior - and a prince.  
( _angrily_ )  
You could have been something here. You could have mattered.

HOGUN  
With respect - I believed that -

ALRIK  
( _interrupting_ )  
You abandoned us. For what? A pretty face?

For a long moment, Alrik stares at Hogun. His expression is not only angry - it is pained and heartbroken. Hogun finally raises his chin, and for the first time, looks his father squarely in the eye.

HOGUN  
If I had stayed, I would have lived and died in your shadow. Among the Aesir I was free to do as I liked.  
( _beat_ )  
In battle - and out of it.

Alrik pauses, and gives Hogun a strange look. After a moment, he speaks again, his voice heavy with disdain:

ALRIK  
Why are you here?

HOGUN  
Surtur's armies laid waste to Valhalla, the Bifrost, and the Asgardian growing-fields. The Aesir are on the run from the last of his horde.  
( _beat_ )  
They have no home.

ALRIK  
And?

HOGUN  
And they need refuge - at least for a time.  
( _beat_ )  
Please.

There is a long, tense pause:

ALRIK  
No.

HOGUN  
The Aesir have invoked the Concordat. By its terms -

ALRIK  
Fuck the Concordat.  
( _beat_ )  
Odin has treated us as vassals since the first war with Muspelheim. He seized Midgard from beneath our noses, and scuttled our forces so we couldn't respond. He is a petty, greedy child on a golden throne. If the Aesir are in peril now, it is well-deserved.

HOGUN  
But Odin is dead.

Alrik raises one eyebrow with interest. For just a moment, a dark smile flickers across his face.

ALRIK  
Then the brute Thor rules in his place.

HOGUN  
No. Thor is dead. And Loki as well.  
( _beat_ )  
Sif Valisdottir carries Gungnir now.

ALRIK  
( _drily_ )  
Does she?  
( _beat_ )  
It does not matter. My answer is the same. You go back and tell her that, your Sif.

HOGUN  
Father - do not punish an entire people for the crimes of only one man.  
( _quieter_ )  
I beg you.

ALRIK  
Not only the crimes of one man.  
( _beat_ )  
The crimes of a woman as well. A selfish little girl who stole my son from his throne. And a people who have walked on our backs long enough.

Alrik stops his pacing, and comes face-to-face with Hogun.

ALRIK  
( _continuing_ )  
Did you think you could just stroll back in here after a hundred years and get whatever you wanted? You walked out on this kingdom - on your birthright. What did you expect?

HOGUN  
( _angrily_ )  
I expected you to honor the promise you made.

There is a long pause, then Alrik turns away from Hogun.

ALRIK  
If the Aesir cross the Don River, we will cut them down. Every last one of them.  
( _beat_ )  
There will be no mercy.  
( _beat_ )  
This is my final decision.

Hogun's face darkens. He does not hesitate; he turns on his heel and RUNS out of the room.


	23. Scene 26

**26\. EXT. ÄLDRTRÄD - SUNRISE**

For a moment, the shot follows Hogun as he leaves the Äldrträd and begins to run out, away, through the camp. Suddenly the camera breaks from him and WHIP-PANS to a copse of trees not far from the Äldrträd, beyond some tents. There is a BURST OF LIGHT, a gust of wind, and a flurry of dry leaves.

LOKI and JANE appear.

JANE  
( _breathless_ )  
Well, that was -

LOKI  
\- exhilarating.

Loki and Jane exchange looks of surprise. They begin speaking quickly, each running over the other's words.

LOKI  
( _continuing_ )  
I did not think that path was still open -

JANE  
( _eagerly_ )  
I saw a galaxy, I mean a whole  _galaxy_  -

LOKI  
( _quickly_ )  
I cannot remember the last time - no-one makes paths like that anymore, really -

JANE  
You mean you've seen that before?

LOKI  
Long ago, when I was very young.  
( _laughs_ )  
It never does get old.

JANE  
And it's real.

LOKI  
( _nodding_ )  
Every part of it.

JANE  
( _emphatically_ )  
There was a comet - it was  _this_ close -

LOKI  
And a dying star - I had forgotten how -

They are interrupted by a sharp hiss from the woods nearby. Both Loki and Jane turn to look, and they see:

AMORA  
( _whispering_ )  
Finally. I was beginning to think you two hadn't made it.

Amora gestures to them and they draw near. CUT TO a small clearing, where we now see that she is crouched over the unconscious body of Heimdall.

JANE  
( _concerned_ )  
What happened to him?

AMORA  
( _gravely_ )  
Heimdall put on a brave face, but he lost a lot of blood back in Skadi's prison. The journey here was - difficult for him.

LOKI  
You could bring him to the Vanir. I am sure they have -

AMORA  
( _shaking her head, firmly_ )  
Quite out of the question. In fact, it is vitally important that both of you stay well out of sight, too - and away from the Vanir.

Jane and Loki look at Amora, puzzled.

AMORA  
( _continuing_ )  
There is not time to explain. Suffice it to say, the Vanir are riding even now to attack the Aesir - or what's left of them.

LOKI  
Attack them? Why?

AMORA  
I do not know.

JANE  
( _to Loki_ )  
There's hardly anything left of the Aesir. Half of them are dead; the rest are sick or starving. Sif was bringing them here for safety.

She shakes her head.

JANE  
( _continuing, quietly_ )  
They don't stand a chance.

AMORA  
( _with chagrin_ )  
It is worse than that.

Both Loki and Jane turn to look at her again.

LOKI  
Worse?

JANE  
How?

AMORA  
Like the Gjallarholder, I too was Skaði's prisoner.  
( _beat_ )  
Unlike him, I was unable to hold out against her...methods.

She takes a deep breath.

AMORA  
( _continuing_ )  
There are creatures, winged white serpents, buried deep inside the ice of Jotunheim. Terrible monsters, capable of - tremendous destruction.

LOKI  
But the art of summoning the dragons has been dead at least a thousand years.

JANE  
I'm sorry - did you say "dragons"?

LOKI  
( _to Amora, firmly_ )  
No-one alive knows how to raise them.

Amora gives Loki a haunted look.

AMORA  
That's not  _entirely_  true.  
( _beat_ )  
I know how to raise them.  
( _beat_ )  
And now...so does she.

LOKI  
( _shaking his head_ )  
But Skaði is dead. Your secret died with her.

For just a moment, Amora has a strange look: happy, but also deeply shaken. She regains her composure:

AMORA  
I'm glad to hear it. But unfortunately, the creatures have already been raised.  
( _beat_ )  
And they're headed this way.


	24. Scene 27

**27\. VANAHEIM PLAINS - SUNRISE**

AERIAL SHOT of the forests and hills of Vanaheim as they slope down and give way to vast, verdant plains. CUT TO HOGUN, on horseback, THUNDERING at full speed across the fields - away from the forests and toward a wide, shallow river to the west. The rising sun paints the sky in vibrant shades of red and gold.

The shot pulls away to show the Aesir, gathered on the west side of the Don River. The remaining Einherjar are on horseback, leading the slow-moving refugees into knee-deep water.

HOGUN  
Sif!

CUT TO SIF, still some distance from Hogun. She, too, is standing in the shallow water, helping one of the refugees to ford his belongings across. FANDRAL and VOLSTAGG are nearby, helping other refugees to do the same.

SIF  
( _surprised_ )  
Hogun?

As Hogun approaches, he dismounts and runs into the water. Sif's face breaks into a wide smile as he wades toward her:

SIF  
( _eagerly_ )  
I can't tell you how glad I am you're -

She is interrupted when he stops her with a passionate KISS. Everyone around them - warriors, refugees - everyone stops to look. Fandral gapes in surprise; Volstagg elbows him between the ribs, hard. Sif takes Hogun's face in her two hands, and starts to speak again, but is cut off:

HOGUN  
 _Mitt ljus_  - you have to turn these people back, or the Vanir will cut them down.

The refugees hear him; around them, everyone stops what they're doing.

SIF  
What? What do you mean?

HOGUN  
Fandral was right. My father will not honor the Concordat - his hate for Odin is much too great.

SIF  
But surely you explained that the All - that Odin -

She trails off.

HOGUN  
I did. But it meant nothing to him. He is a bitter, vengeful man - worse, even, than I remembered.

Hogun takes Sif's hands in his.

HOGUN  
( _continuing_ )  
I am so sorry.  
( _beat_ )  
We will find another way.

Sif, however, is distracted - looking over Hogun's shoulder. RACK FOCUS to the hillside behind him. Just at the crest of the hill, silhouetted against the setting sun, is the ENTIRE VANIR ARMY. The soldiers are dressed simply, in leather armor; they are all on foot, but are heavily armed. At the front of the group is ALRIK; beside him is a banner-man, carrying the flag of the Vanir - an elaborate black, knotted wheel on a field of green.

SIF  
( _shaking her head_ )  
There is no time.

Sif thinks a moment, then turns over her shoulder and shouts to Volstagg:

SIF  
Volstagg! Tell everyone to stop where they are. Fandral, I need you for my banner-man - to ride out with me.

FANDRAL  
( _gravely_ )  
Of course.

Sif turns and faces Fandral. He is already rummaging in his belongings, drawing out the Aesir banner - three interlocking white triangles on a field of red.

SIF  
No - not the Aesir banner. Fly the flag of Yggdrasil.

Fandral hesitates, and then, as he understands, he nods in agreement.

VOLSTAGG  
( _protesting_ )  
But Si- All-Mother - you know what it means, to fly that flag.

SIF  
I do. But I am riding to plead for peace, not to make some futile last stand.  
( _beat_ )  
Alrik has every advantage on us. He outnumbers us five to one, in arms and in men. His soldiers are healthy; ours are sick and starving. And we are on his soil, when we ourselves no longer have any soil of our own.

VOLSTAGG  
( _earnestly_ )  
Is this what Odin would have wished?

SIF  
( _with restrained emotion_ )  
I loved Odin as my own father. He led his people well - in times of peace and plenty. He treated me well - took me in. But I am not blind to his faults. His actions led us here. His pride and his greed and his cruelty put us at Alrik's mercy now.  
( _beat_ )  
I am not proud. I will do whatever I must to ensure that these people survive. And  _that_  - I think that is indeed what Odin would have wished.

HOGUN  
( _quietly_ )  
It may mean the end of Asgard as an independent kingdom.

SIF  
( _smiling ruefully_ )  
Then I will have had the shortest, most eventful reign of any queen. In the annals of history, that is surely worth something.

By now, Fandral is on his horse, with the banner of Yggdrasil raised - a white tree on a black field, set inside a thin white hoop.

FANDRAL  
I am ready, at your word.

SIF  
( _to Hogun_ )  
Will you ride with me?

HOGUN  
( _smiling_ )  
You would not be able to stop me.  
( _beat_ )  
And - I think you are right. And very brave. For what that's worth.

SIF  
( _warmly_ )  
Your word is worth everything to me.

Sif takes a deep breath, then nods to Fandral.

SIF  
Let us go.

Together, the three take to their horses. WIDE SHOT as they begin riding slowly across the plain, toward Alrik. Seeing, them, Alrik and his banner-man separate from the Vanir armies and start moving toward them - also riding at a slow, measured pace. The green grass beneath them seems to glow in the morning light.

The two sides are more than halfway across the field toward one another when a loud, piercing, animal CRY tears across the quiet of the morning. Sif, Hogun and Fandral all look up; so does Alrik.

To the north, the white clouds are gathering into a gray storm, and arcs of white lightning are striking the distant ground. And in the distance, great, winged creatures - vast enough to cast black shadows far below - are moving swiftly toward the plain where the Aesir and Vanir are about to meet.

FANDRAL  
( _whispering_ )  
 _Dritt._  
  
CUT TO Alrik's banner-man; he leans toward the Vanir king, who is staring up at the sky in fear.

VANIR BANNER-MAN  
My lord - are those -

ALRIK  
( _quietly_ )  
Yes -

CUT TO Sif, who is also staring up at the sky. She draws her sword.

SIF  
\- Dragons.


	25. Scene 28 - End - Post-Credits

**28\. VANAHEIM PLAINS - DAY**

CUT TO Jane and Loki, riding on horseback at FULL SPEED downhill, west, away from the Aldrtrad. The scene is eerily silent – the only sound is the repetitive, concussive thud of horses' hooves against the earth.

They come to the crest of a hill and the view widens to show the field of battle – and the scene EXPLODES with sound. Ahead of Jane and Loki the Vanir and Aesir forces are in a state of disarray - and in the sky, great, terrible DRAGONS are descending.

JANE  
( _whispering_ )  
Oh my God.

The scene is chaotic. The dragons are attacking both the Aesir refugees and the Vanir archers, and doing tremendous damage. Across the field, one of the dragons – an enormous gray-green creature – lands with a CRASH amidst a group of Aesir refugees. The refugees go running in every direction as the creature seizes one of the men in its claws. It shakes the man violently, and there is a sickening snap as his spine breaks. The dragon reaches for another man, when:

SIF  
( _O.S._ )  
Ey!

SUDDEN CUT TO Sif, further down the field, riding at full speed toward the dragon. She is holding the reins in her left hand, and her sword in her right. Before the dragon has a moment to react, she is across the field, nearly at its feet.

As her horse skids to a stop just short of the creature, Sif LEAPS off the horse and PLUNGES her sword into the meat of the dragon's shoulder. The dragon thrashes violently, and as it does, Sif – now dangling from her blade by one hand – TEARS a long line down the dragon's webbed wing, as if ripping through fabric. The dragon ROARS and, turning quickly, FLINGS Sif to the ground some distance away.

HOGUN  
( _O.S._ )  
Sif!

CUT TO Hogun, halfway across the field. He turns his horse and rides at full speed toward Sif and the dragon.

Sif, meanwhile, rolls backward, skidding to a stop in the dirt, and quickly finds her sword again. The dragon – now bleeding freely from its wounded wing – stalks toward her, brings its face close to hers, and ROARS.

But the roar is cut short with a TERRIBLE CRACKING SOUND as Hogun, riding directly toward the dragon's head, SLAMS his mace into the dragon's jaw. The dragon's head snaps sideways, exposing the soft flesh of its throat. Sif seizes this opportunity and lunges forward, DRIVING her sword into the creature's gullet. Black dragon blood gushes everywhere, but Sif does not withdraw her blade until the dragon heaves its last, rasping breath.

CUT BACK to Jane and Loki. Jane looks stunned; Loki laughs.

LOKI  
Well,  _those two_  can clearly take care of themselves.

JANE  
But those people can't.

She gestures to a group of Aesir refugees, running away from another dragon, along the river's edge.

JANE  
( _continuing_ )  
Come on, let's get down there.

Loki gives her a strange look. He laughs again, but there is no humor in it.

LOKI  
To do what?

JANE  
( _frustrated_ )  
To save them! Jesus! We do  _not_  have time for this.

LOKI  
( _coolly_ )  
And if we saved them?  
( _beat_ )  
To those people there, I am a hateful monster - as deadly and terrifying as those dragons. Probably worse.

JANE  
Then prove them wrong.

LOKI  
But they are not wrong.

JANE  
Yes, they are. I saw you, when we went through that gate: looking out at all those stars and suns and galaxies.  
You weren't hateful then. You were -

She fumbles for words.

JANE  
-  _curious_.

LOKI  
( _severely_ )  
You are deluding yourself. I have done…terrible things. I have committed crimes that will not be forgiven.  
( _quieter_ )  
I am not a  _good_  person, Jane Foster. I am not heroic, like Thor. I do not even have Odin's self-righteous rage. I am, above all things, greedy – for knowledge and for power.

JANE  
But the Tesseract –

LOKI  
( _coldly_ )  
I lied to you, that day in Valhalla. The Tesseract never controlled me. It only magnified what I already am.

Jane takes a deep breath, as if deciding something.

JANE  
( _firmly_ )  
I don't believe you.

LOKI  
( _angrily_ )  
You should. I cannot change. And I am not sure that I would if I could. I  _like_  those things about myself. And there is every reason to believe I will keep on liking those things. That I will always be what I have been: selfish and cruel.

JANE  
You say that as if it's a cycle that cannot be broken. As if everything is set in stone.

Loki gives her a strange, suspicious look; but Jane doesn't notice it.

JANE  
( _continuing_ )  
But it's not.

She reaches out and puts one hand lightly on Loki's arm. He looks at Jane: still angry, but haunted, too.

JANE  
You saved these people when you hid Valhalla from Surtur. I know that. They must know it too.  
( _beat_ )  
You can't control what happens tomorrow. But you  _can_  do one good thing today.

Jane nods toward the battlefield. CUT TO the front lines of the Vanir, where a great silver dragon has landed amidst a group of archers and is wheeling in a circle, breathing blue fire at them.

JANE  
( _continuing_ )  
You help them. I'll get to the refugees.

Before Loki has a chance to respond, Jane spurs her horse to a gallop and begins crossing the field toward the Aesir refugees, most of whom are climbing uphill from the river. Loki turns and begins riding toward the Vanir line.

CUT TO the Vanir, who are dispersing around the silver dragon and trying to take shots at it as they run. They are able archers, but not experts at melee combat; the dragon is literally slicing through their ranks with its razored tail, and burning others alive with its fiery breath. It is a terrible, grisly sight.

Loki gets close, and leaps off his horse. The dragon swings its great tail again, and this time Loki GRABS the tail with both hands. He digs under the dragon's scales with his fingers, and mutters something under his breath. There is a flash of green light, and then an explosion of white ice, beginning at his hands and spreading up the creature's tail. For a moment, the creature is frozen solid.

As the dragon begins to shake itself free of the ice, there is a loud HISS and a THUD. From the far side of the dragon, someone has shot the creature with a crossbow bolt, to which a long rope is attached. With effort, FANDRAL appears, climbing up the rope and onto the dragon. As he crests the dragon's back, he sees Loki: his look is one of terror – then blind rage.

LOKI  
( _quickly_ )  
I am on your-

Before he can finish, the dragon shakes violently, and Loki's grip falters. He slides further down the dragon's tail. The dragon, meanwhile, senses something on its back, and turns to snap at Fandral. Before it can, however, Loki creates an explosion of green light inches from the dragon's eyes. For a moment, the creature is dazzled – and it's long enough for Fandral to POUND the crossbow bolt into the dragon's spine, severing the connection between two of its vertebrae. Yelling, both Loki and Fandral ride the disabled dragon to the ground, where it lands with a deafening CRASH.

MEANWHILE, across the field, an enormous gray dragon is diving toward the river – and the Aesir refugees. The beast drops low, so that the tips of its great wings graze the surface of the water. As they touch the water, the river begins to freeze and crack - only under the dragon, at first, but then racing ahead of the dragon, toward the Aesir refugees.

Panicked, the refugees clamber out of the water, toward the banks on either side. Not all are fast enough, though, and many become trapped in the frozen water. Others slip and slide, running forward on the thick, ice-crusted river.

CUT TO a small child, no more than six, among the refugees who are running on the ice. Being so small, she is slow - at the back of the pack. QUICK CUT to the healer EIR, a sword in one hand, also running on the ice ten or twenty feet ahead of the child. She sees the child, and turns.

The dragon drops low, and buries its claws in the ice. It flicks its great, razor-edged tail around - to kill the child. Eir, moving quickly, runs back and pushes the child out of harm's way with her free hand. In doing so, however, she herself slides closer to the dragon - and with a sickening sound, the dragon buries its barbed tail in Eir's chest. As the dragon draws its tail back and begins to turn away, Eir stumbles and falls to the ice.

CUT TO Jane, a short distance away, on the riverbank.

JANE  
( _anguished_ )  
No!

Jane rushes to Eir's side. Without hesitation, she picks up Eir's sword and HURLS it, end-over-end, at the dragon. The sword embeds itself solidly in the dragon's neck with a THUD - and the great creature turns back toward Jane. It opens its jaws over her and breathes blue fire at her. Just as it does, Jane raises her hands over her head in one last gesture of self-defense.

As she raises her hands, the cuff on her right arm suddenly glows white. An iridescent dome of light materializes around Jane. The fire disperses around the dome - leaving Jane unharmed. Jane stares at her arm in surprise - then up at the dragon.

The dragon rears back, clearly irritated. It lifts one clawed hand to CRUSH Jane - but before it can strike, it staggers backward, howling in pain. As the creature tumbles backward and down to the ground, it turns its head. We see VOLSTAGG, who has apparently taken advantage of the dragon's distraction to climb its great back and bury his axe in the base of its skull. The dragon thrashes in pain - its final death throes. Volstagg, covered in thick black blood, rides the creature as it CAREENS to the ground and dies.

JANE  
( _out of breath_ )  
Thanks.

Volstagg grins as he wipes great gobs of dragon blood from his face.

VOLSTAGG  
Jane Foster, it is my -

Zzzzzzzzzzz - BAM! A huge BOULDER flies between Jane and Volstagg and lands in the ground some distance away. Both Jane and Volstagg turn to look.

In the distance, a reddish dragon with only one good eye and four wicked arms is lifting enormous rocks into the air and HURLING them toward the refugees – first one, then another, crushing and killing anyone in their path.

The creature stops, however, when a sizeable rock HITS it solidly in the back of the head. The dragon turns: the source of the offending rock was none other than Sif. The creature looks at Sif almost curiously, and slowly steps toward her. Each time its foot hits the ground, there is a concussive BOOM.

Sif turns her double-ended sword over in one hand, and takes a deep breath. The one-eyed dragon is near enough now that Sif is eye-to-eye with the great creature.

SIF  
( _whispering_ )  
 _Jeg er ikke redd for å dø. Jeg vil møte deg, min kjærlighet, ved porten til Hel._

The creature's jaws open wide, revealing bits of broken bone between its teeth. Just as Sif steels herself to leap INTO its bite, there is an EXPLOSION from behind the dragon. The dragon rears back; in the distance is a figure, arms in the air, creating brilliant flashes of light.

SIF  
( _incredulously_ )  
Loki?

The one-eyed dragon whirls around. CUT TO LOKI, a good distance away, further down the battlefield. The dragon gives an ear-splitting ROAR and begins racing toward Loki.

Loki makes a small gesture with his right hand, and in an instant his appearance begins to shift. As his features reassemble themselves, the dragon pounds ever nearer to him - then, suddenly, it stops. CUT TO Loki, who by now has fully transformed - into Skadi.

The one-eyed dragon stops in its tracks, and studies Loki with its one good eye. It turns its great, wedge-shaped head to one side, then the other. Then, after a moment, the dragon bows its head low to the ground and presses its shoulders against the earth - offering itself to Loki.

Still in Skadi's physical form, Loki climbs up on the dragon's shoulders. He gives the dragon a firm thump with one hand, and it begins to lift itself into the air with a heavy beat of its wings. As the creature rises, Loki looks up, to see –-

\- BREDI, riding an enormous white dragon, flying toward the Vanir line. Another, smaller blue dragon follows close behind him. Bredi smiles to Loki as he passes, then looks away. Loki stares back in confusion, then slowly transforms back into Loki.

LOKI  
( _muttering_ )  
Wonderful.

In the distance, Bredi's dragon wheels south over the battlefield, while the smaller blue dragon continues on toward Alrik and the Vanir. CLOSE ON the Vanir archers as they reform their line and take aim at the dragon. One of them, however, looks off to his left, a surprised expression on his face:

VANIR ARCHER 1  
Is that -

A second archer beside him turns and looks.

VANIR ARCHER 2  
\- Amora?

CUT TO Amora, riding toward the Vanir line on horseback. She is guiding a second horse with one hand – and Heimdall's unconscious body is slumped forward in the saddle on the second horse. Upon seeing the scene, Amora draws her horse alongside Heimdall's, and takes him by the shoulders. She shakes him violently.

AMORA  
Wake up! I need you to wake up now.

Heimdall groans, and slowly lifts his head. His lower jaw is covered in dried blood, and his eyes are out of focus. Amora shakes him again:

AMORA  
Can you guide their shots?

HEIMDALL  
( _groggy_ )  
Wh-what?

In the distance, the blue dragon makes another pass, and HITS three archers with a swipe of its great claw. There is a sickening crunch as the three men, dead on impact, go flying backward.

AMORA  
( _urgently_ )  
If I put you inside their minds, can you guide their shots?

Heimdall hesitates a moment, then nods. Amora brings her hands together in front of her, palms forward, thumbs crossed. CUT TO the Vanir archers; their eyes suddenly glaze over, an eerie white. CUT BACK to Amora, who turns to Heimdall.

AMORA  
Hurry! Take my hands.

Heimdall takes Amora's small hands inside his great ones, and closes his eyes. At a distance, the archers' eyes glow gold, like Heimdall's. Each one lifts an arrow to his bow, draws - and takes a shot.

Each shot is true, and in an instant the dragon's blue eyes split violently apart with the force of twenty arrows. Blinded, the creature careens downward and SLAMS into the earth. It spins and thrashes on the ground, shooting its two clawed arms out in every direction - but without sight it is harmless. The archers finish the creature off at a distance, and it dies with an earth-shaking groan.

QUICK CUT to Bredi, still aloft. Seeing the blue dragon's death, he brings his own dragon around and begins SPEEDING toward the Vanir line, until—CRASH! Out of nowhere, Loki and his dragon slam into Bredi and his. The two dragons grapple with one another, spiraling downward until they RAM into the earth, sending a blinding spray of dirt and rocks in every direction. For an instant, the dirt obscures all view –

\- then in a heartbeat, the dirt clears. The two dragons are not the only ones fighting; as the dust settles we can see Bredi, straddling Loki's shoulders and PUNCHING Loki repeatedly in the face. Black jotunn blood trails from Loki's broken jaw – but Bredi does not relent.

BREDI  
( _crazed_ )  
Where is she? What did you-

Bredi is cut short when Loki grabs his leg and BURIES his fingers into Bredi's flesh. As Loki tears at the muscles above Bredi's knee, green fire dances blooms around his hand, burning Bredi's skin to a crisp. Bredi recoils from Loki, and grabs his wounded leg, howling in pain.

LOKI  
Skadi is dead -

Loki quickly reaches behind his back, draws his dagger, and DRIVES it into Bredi's stomach.

LOKI  
( _hissing_ )  
\- go now to join her.

Bredi gasps, and fumbles at the dagger with both hands. Then, after a moment, his face settles into a dull scowl. He reaches out with one hand and SEIZES Loki by the throat, and as he does, blue light flickers around his fingers. Loki yells in pain, but his cry is cut short. Bredi tightens his grasp, crushing the very life out of Loki. Struggling for breath, Loki begins to transform into his underlying, jotunn form – blue skin, red eyes… and black, oxygen-starved veins crisscrossing his flesh.

Just as the light is beginning to fade from Loki's eyes, there is a loud CRUNCH. RACK FOCUS to a figure, behind Bredi, who has just plunged a great axe into Bredi's back. Loki's unexpected, axe-wielding rescuer is Alrik, king of the Vanir.

Blood gurgling up out of his mouth, Bredi releases Loki. Bredi then lunges toward Alrik, both hands extended. He seizes Alrik, and there is a blinding EXPLOSION of blue light. Energy surges from Bredi to Alrik, racking the old king's body with electric fire. After a long moment of this, Bredi falls to the ground, dead. Alrik collapses beside him.

HOGUN  
Father!

CUT TO Hogun, running toward his father; Sif is a few steps behind him. Nearing his father, Hogun falls to his knees, and takes Alrik's hand.

HOGUN  
( _continuing_ )  
Lie still. We will heal you yet.

Alrik coughs weakly, and his lungs sound shallow and frail.

ALRIK  
No – you will not.

The old king reaches up for the hammered metal disc that hangs by a leather cord around his neck. The disc is stamped with the knotted wheel of the Vanir. Alrik tugs at it, and the cord breaks.

ALRIK  
Take it. You will be our King now, my son.  
( _beat_ )  
I hope you do not abandon your people -  
as readily as you abandoned me.

HOGUN  
( _with emotion_ )  
I will not. I swear it.  
( _beat_ )  
I - I am sorry.

Hogun hesitates, and turns. Sif is standing behind him, several steps away. Alrik sees her too:

ALRIK  
Come closer, Valisdottir.

Sif kneels at Alrik's side; her expression is wary.

ALRIK  
I saw you fight for him. It is possible - that I was mistaken about you.  
( _beat_ )  
And your people.

Alrik looks back to Hogun, and clutches at Hogun's sleeve.

ALRIK  
( _continuing_ )  
Do not forget what I have told you - my son.

Alrik takes one last shuddering breath - anddies.

SIF  
I am so sorry. I cannot guess what you are feeling.

HOGUN  
( _dully_ )  
Neither can I.

He pinches the bridge of his nose between his fingertips:

HOGUN  
He was not a particularly kind father - but he has always been there. A fixed point, good or bad. Always at the Aldrtrad - always on that throne. Whether good or bad, a  _constant._...I cannot imagine him gone.  
( _shaking his head_ )  
And I certainly cannot imagine myself in his place, ruling a kingdom.

Sif leans into Hogun's field of view, and sets her hand on his. She smiles gently:

SIF  
Can you imagine yourself ruling two?

Hogun looks up in surprise - and then he begins to grin as he realizes just what Sif means.

QUICK CUT to Loki, still lying on the ground not far away. He has retaken his human form, but he is in terrible condition. His face, neck and shoulders are covered in black bruises, and his entire body is a tangle of broken armor and jotunn blood. CLOSE ON his face as he stares up at the sky, and then, slowly, closes his eyes.

JANE  
( _O.S_.)  
Hey.

His eyes open. Jane is leaning over him. She, too, is covered in cuts and bruises and blood – but she is alive.

JANE  
( _grinning_ )  
Good job, you.

LOKI  
"Good job"?

JANE  
After all that talk, you have, in fact, done one good thing today.

LOKI  
( _smiling_ )  
Not yet, I haven't.

He reaches up, takes Jane's bloodied face in one hand, and KISSES her. It's an epic, momentous, time-stopping kiss. Around them, dust motes in the air slow to a meditative whorl, and beams of sunlight burn a bright corona behind Jane's head. The shot pulls out to show the excitement of the battlefield around them, all in slow motion: the battle is over, the dragons are dead, and the Aesir and Vanir survivors are celebrating. And for one perfect and immortal instant, there is no sound but the faint rustle of leaves in distant trees.

But like all good things, it comes to an end.

THOR  
( _O.S., roaring_ )  
Brother!

Jane pulls away from Loki, and both of them come to their feet. Thor, carrying Mjolnir in his right hand, is crossing the battlefield toward Loki; Darcy and Erik are trailing behind him, struggling to keep up.

LOKI  
Thor – I am not going to –

BAM! Without warning, Thor punches Loki solidly in the stomach. Loki staggers backward, but does not respond. Frustrated, Thor punches him again.

THOR  
Fight back, you miserable thief.

LOKI  
I will not fight you, Th-

BAM! Thor hits Loki a third time.

JANE  
( _anguished_ )  
Stop! Jesus, give it a rest.

Thor turns toward Jane, his face full of anger and pain.

THOR  
Jane Foster, do not be blinded by his lies and trickery. Loki saved you only because he knew that in time,  
you would save him. Everything he does, he does for his own good. He cares nothing for anyone but himself.

LOKI  
( _to Jane_ )  
At first that was true - but I swear that since then I have come to -

He hesitates.

LOKI  
( _continuing, with effort_ )  
\- to learn that yours is a life very much worth saving.

Jane looks back at Loki with indescribable emotion.

THOR  
Hers, perhaps. But how many others were not worth it?  
How many humans died in New York?  
( _to Jane_ )  
Do you know, Jane Foster?

JANE  
I know that the Other seized Loki's mind, through the Tesseract.  
Just as it seized Erik's mind, and Barton's. He's not a murderer -

THOR  
( _interrupting_ )  
Not a murderer? Ask him what he did to his own brother.  
( _beat_ )  
Ask him!  
( _to Loki_ )  
I saw what became of Baldr! Hela showed me the truth of it.  
You are a killer - and a monster - and I was a fool to believe that you could  _ever_  change.

JANE  
But Baldr was killed by Skadi.

THOR  
( _darkly_ )  
Baldr was killed by Loki, wearing Skadi's skin. He created the woman who raised these dragons and killed these people. All this blood is on his hands, and his alone.

JANE  
( _to Loki, hesitantly_ )  
Is this true?

LOKI  
( _to Thor, darkly_ )  
You have no idea what you are talking about.  
You have no idea what he -

THOR  
( _interrupting_ )  
He was our brother! Our blood!

LOKI  
Your blood. Not mine.

JANE  
( _repeating, quietly_ )  
But is it true?

LOKI  
There is more to it than Thor would have you believe -

Jane's face falls.

LOKI  
( _continuing_ )  
But no. I cannot deny it.

Jane stares at Loki, a pained expression on her face.

JANE  
Why didn't you tell me?

LOKI  
( _quietly_ )  
As I said – there are some crimes that cannot be forgiven. Some crimes that even you cannot forgive.  
( _beat_ )  
You see now, I was right.

After a long moment, Thor places his hand on Jane's shoulder.

THOR  
Come with me, Jane Foster. Stay with my people, while the Bifrost is repaired.  
It will be some years - but when it is done, you can go home.

JANE  
( _incredulously_ )  
Years?

THOR  
It will not seem like so long. I promise.

At length, Jane turns from Loki and begins to walk away with Thor.  
Loki comes, unsteadily, to his feet:

LOKI  
Wait.

Thor turns on his heel and SLAMS Mjolnir into Loki, HITTING him squarely in the chest. Loki seizes the head of the hammer with both hands. He skids backward with the force of the hammer, but does not fall. The hammer swings back into Thor's hands, and Loki clutches at his chest with one hand.

LOKI  
( _wheezing_ )  
You do not have to wait for the Bifrost to be repaired.

Thor gives Loki an expression of pure hate. Jane is puzzled:

JANE  
What? What do you mean?

LOKI  
That cuff - that shard of Surtur's weapon - it is a powerful artifact. Like the Casket of Winters,  
or the Tesseract itself. That thing has power enough to fuel the device you brought...  
( _beat_ )  
...as my brother well knows.

THOR  
You miserable, lying -

LOKI  
( _coolly, to Thor_ )  
It would seem I am no longer the only liar in Asgard.  
( _to Jane_ )  
You can take yourself home. You're free.

Jane looks from Loki to Thor, and back again, saying nothing. After a long, tense moment, Jane shakes her head - and turns away. WIDE, LINGERING SHOT of Jane walking into the setting sun - then, FADE TO WHITE.

**THE END**

**MID-CREDITS: HALLS OF HEL - EVENING**

The camera BURNS IN to a WIDE SHOT of the halls of Hel at sunset. The shot lingers for a moment; then an immense dragon, great enough to blot out the sun, descends and lands in front of the hall. A silhouetted figure climbs down from the dragon, and walks inside.

A CLOSE SHOT follows a man as he walks down a long hallway. The shot widens as the man enters Hela's throne room. The camera comes around to face the man: it is LOKI. His face - still bruised and bloodied - is haunted, even heartbroken.

LOKI  
( _shouting_ )  
Hela!

He approaches the empty throne, and runs one hand over its black, intricately-carved arms.

LOKI  
Hela! Come out a-

Something catches Loki's eye, and he stops short. CUT TO the 'column' behind the throne - a twisted mass of organic fiber, like the root of a great tree. When last we saw this root, it had been vibrant and alive - brown and gold, with bright flecks of green coursing across its surface. Now, it is black and withered, with blood-red light flickering faintly from within.

LOKI  
( _whispering_ )  
Oh, no.

The camera pulls back to show Loki's look of horror as he looks down to see the floor at his feet - filling with a black, inky substance. AERIAL SHOT of Loki, standing amidst the black oil as it spreads outward across the room. It fills the field of view - until the entire screen is BLACK.

**Coming Soon: "Yggdrasil", a sequel.**


End file.
